The Spherus Magna Chronicles-Book I: All That I Am
by silvaze068
Summary: Teridax is dead. Mata Nui slumbers once more. Spherus Magna is whole again. Following Mata Nui's last request, Matoran, Toa, Agori and Glatorian go on a quest to find the Great Beings. However, little are they aware of the evil that follows in Teridax's wake. A sprawling epic ensues as Matoran, Toa, Agori, Glatorian, and even Great Beings face danger and secrets at every turn.
1. Prologue

"Gathered friends, listen again to our legend of the Bionicle.

"In the time before time, on the glorious world of Spherus Magna, mighty Glatorian and noble Toa worked together to protect the Matoran and Agori. It was a veritable paradise. But soon, darkness spread across the land. Two great evils were at work, and they would not stop until everything good and just had been destroyed. And now, our heroes will be put to the ultimate test."

/

My attempt at providing some closure for all us Bionicle fans. This is my attempt at a proper ending.


	2. Chapter 1

The sun shone across the landscape, sparkling through the dew drops. It glistened off the placid surfaces of water, shining brightly across the entire surface of Spherus Magna. The air was calm; insects and birds flitted through the air; various creatures darted through the grass; numerous fish gaped from underneath the placid water's surface. The mood was calm. But it wouldn't be for long.

"You've disgraced us Pridak!" yelled Kalmah, "You promised to bring the league glory!"

"And have I not delivered on that promise?" Pridak responded.

"No you have not!" replied Ehlek, "We were beaten by those novice Toa, and sent back to The Pit!"

Mantax stepped forward. "We've experienced nothing but defeat under you Pridak! We failed to destroy Mahri Nui, to gain the Mask of Life, and to conquer the universe!"

"Now, now," said Pridak in an attempt to calm them down, "Let's talk about this…"

"We've had too much talking under your rule Pridak," snapped Takadox, "Too much talking and not enough doing!"

Pridak gulped, "Hold on a second-"

"I motion for a new leader!" Kalmah interjected, "Who's with me?" Three ayes resounded.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty," Pridak stammered.

Kalmah lifted Pridak by the throat, "Shut up you worthless insect! We'll decide what to do with you very shortly."

"I vote for Kalmah as leader!" trumpeted Ehlek.

"As do I!" seconded Mantax and Takadox.

Kalmah raised a fist triumphantly. "I will lead us to glory!" The other Barraki, sans Pridak, cheered. However, their exultation was disturbed by a sound. A few rocks had somehow come out of place and were tumbling down the hill behind them. They turned around and heard scuttling within the cave at the base of the hill. Scuttling of something heavy.

Kalmah stepped forward. "Who's there?" he cried threateningly. No response.

He turned to Pridak. "Here's your chance to prove yourself you sniveling coward. Go see what that is." Pridak was in no position to disobey.

Pridak cautiously advanced towards the cave, holding his shark tooth blade at the ready. "Show yourself!" he snarled as menacingly as he could. No response. He advanced closer. "I said, come out and show yourself!" He put as much venom into his voice as he could. No response.

Reluctantly, Pridak advanced into the inky blackness. "Show yourself!" he snarled. Suddenly, there were footsteps behind him. He quickly turned, but there was nothing there. With a gulp, Pridak advanced further. "You'll come out if you know what's good for you," he said, his confidence and venom fading.

Pridak could barely see. But as he peered ahead, he saw a light. A faint light, but a light all the same. "Hello?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

The blood-curdling shriek reached the other Barraki.

"No, no, no no no no NOO!"

Sickening crunches and shrieks of twisting metal were heard from inside the cave. Loud gasps soon followed, followed by faint gurgling.

Silence.

Slow, purposeful steps came out of the cave. And into the light stepped Pridak. All the Barraki breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, Pridak," breathed Kalmah, "It's just you. We thought you-"

Kalmah had no time to finish his sentence, as Pridak's form suddenly distorted itself as it sprouted extra limbs, silver tentacles with razor points. A gaping jaw, filled with row upon row of gnashing teeth, formed in Pridak's midsection. Without warning, the tentacles flew at Kalmah and the others. They had no time to react as the tentacles reached towards their heads.

The dead Barraki collapsed, their brains pierced through by the pointed tentacles. The points disappeared, the tentacles gaining mouths on their ends. The tentacles bodies slowly began to engulf their bodies. The lumps from the bodies slowly disappeared as they were absorbed. Light glowed around Pridak as his eyes shifted to a deep red. The tentacles retracted and the gaping maw in his midsection disappeared as he resumed his normal appearance.

Pridak's voice came out, harsh and grating. "Pridak. Kalmah. Ehlek. Takadox. Mantax. You have been assimilated."


	3. Chapter 2

"Vakama… Vakama…

"Save Spherus Magna…

"Time… is short…"

Vakama was standing on the surface of an ocean. He hesitantly poked ahead with his firestaff to find that it was solid. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and a golden Hau appeared in midair. Without a word, it flew off into the distance. Vakama followed. The mask never went out of sight, stopping at the edge of his vision, moving on as he approached it. After what seemed like hours, Vakama finally reached the mask, only for it to disappear. But where it was, he saw a sight he never thought he would see again.

He saw the island… the island of Mata Nui. An island he knew no longer existed. He was ready to turn away, to forget what could never be, but he stopped when a silver beam of light shot up out of the island, creating a solid pillar of light. He could not very well resist.

A while later, he arrived at the source of the light: the Kini-Nui. The light came from Makuta Teridax's lair. He approached it, ready to descend, when he heard a loud rumble. Out of the tunnel erupted a large shape: a silver, glowing sphere, with a surface that shimmered like water. It looked like energized protodermis. It left the beam of light and came towards Vakama.

Vakama turned and ran, but the sphere overtook him and dropped to the ground in front of him. Slowly, it began to coalesce into a new form, that of a hulking monstrosity. It looked somehow familiar, yet Vakama couldn't place where he'd seen it before.

The creature looked down at him with blood-red eyes. One of its arms lunged straight for him.

"Ah!" Vakama woke with a jolt, breathing heavily. He hadn't had a vision in a thousand years, nor had heard that voice. "Toa… Lhikan?" But he was dead. He grabbed his firestaff. He needed to think. He heaved himself out of bed, hearing his joints creak as he righted himself. He swung his feet to the side, settling them on the ground before throwing his weight onto them. As he stood, his hunched frame groaned in protest, struggling to stay upright. Vakama leaned heavily on his staff as he limped outside. The night air bit him, chilling him to his core.

What was the meaning of this vision? Save Spherus Magna? How was he to go about doing such a thing? And who was to say that this vision was real? He was old, and not what he used to be. He felt beaten up, worn out, overused. Perhaps this vision was merely a figment of his mind, what was left of it. Perhaps his mind had finally gone. Or maybe not. But could he afford to ignore this vision? What if it was a real warning? Ignoring it could mean the destruction of all that he held dear.

He heard footsteps behind him, and a hand on his shoulder? "Brother, what is troubling you?"

"Nothing sister," he lied. It would not do well for her to think him crazy.

"Vakama, I have known you for more than a thousand years. I know you well enough to know that you are lying. I ask again, what is troubling you?"

Vakama sighed. "For the first time since we left Metru Nui, I had a vision. A vision of Toa Lhikan, telling me to save Spherus Magna."

"That sounds an awful lot like what he said to you a thousand years ago." After a long pause, she spoke up again. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I wish I knew. I have no idea how to go about saving anything. I am not sure that as I am now I could save anything. I am too weak and feeble." He sat down, as his legs had suddenly become unable to support his weight. "I saw the island, Nokama. I saw it, and there was a great monstrosity lurking there, something more dangerous than even the Makuta."

She sat down next to him, putting an arm around him. "Vakama, you are anything but weak and feeble. You were strong enough to lead us to victory over the Makuta and the Visorak, and I firmly believe that you have the strength to save our new home as well. Whatever this new threat is, we will face it together, just as we have always done." She stood up, heading off. But before she left, she turned back. "Vakama, I will not force you to do anything, but you would be foolish to ignore this vision. Whether you choose to do what this vision asks of you or not, I will stand by you." She turned and continued back to her hut.

Just before she was out of earshot, Vakama turned. "Nokama?" She stopped and turned to face him. "Thank you." That said, Vakama picked up his firestaff and returned to his hut.

Morning arrived, and with it, newfound determination. Vakama raised himself out of bed and went off in search of Turaga Dume, to call a meeting of the Turaga.

He found him talking to Onua. "Yes, that will do nicely Onua. Yes, if the village goes there, it can be used as a central hub for all the new villages we will have to build. That will be an excellent spot, yes." He turned to see him. "Ah, Vakama. I was just discussing with Onua here the location of the new Onu-Koro."

"Thank you Turaga," said Onua, "And now I have to go talk with Whenua, so we can start construction. I'm afraid I must take my leave."

"No problem at all Onua."

Onua turned to face Vakama. "Turaga," he said, bowing slightly as a sign of respect.

Once Onua was gone, Dume turned to Vakama. "Now Vakama, what is there that I can do for you?"

"Turaga Dume," replied Vakama, "I ask that you call a meeting of the Turaga."

"For what reason?"

Vakama sighed. "I would prefer not to reveal my motives until the meeting."

Dume scratched his chin. "Vakama, I cannot call a meeting unless there is a reason for it. You will tell me the reason you wish for a meeting, or there shall not be one."

"Very well. Last night I had a vision, one concerning the future and safety of all of Spherus Magna. All of our lives may very well be at stake." Dume was aghast. He was not expecting an answer like that.

"Very well, Vakama. You want a meeting, and there shall be one. I shall assemble the Turaga."

As the meeting would not take place until the night, Vakama sought out Gali. He would normally seek out Gaaki, due to her Mask of Clairvoyance, but she was gone with the rest of the Toa Hagah, trying to find the Toa Mahri. Gali was the only Toa who could possibly tell him what his vision meant.

He found her by the shore of the ocean, meditating. She sensed his approach. "Welcome Turaga Vakama," she said, setting her feet on the ground. "What can I do for you?"

"I need your wisdom, Toa of water."

"Of course Turaga. I will provide any assistance I can. But aren't Turaga the wise ones? Why do you not ask one of your fellow Turaga?"

"Toa, for reasons I cannot disclose, I cannot. You will simply have to accept that explanation." Vakama looked into Gali's eyes, checking to see if she really did trust him.

"Very well. Now, what assistance do you require?"

And so Vakama told her of his vision, of the mask, the island, and the sphere. "Turaga, it is clear that something very dangerous is afoot here. Whatever it is that you seek, whether it be this unknown villain or the means of defeating him, is on that island."

"But you know as well as I do that that island no longer exists, nor will it ever exist again." No sooner had Vakama spoken these words than a flash of light erupted from the sky. It came from a gap between the stars, where there was nothing but blackness. A pillar of light, just like the one in Vakama's vision, descended onto the body of the robot, the great robot that had carried his people for one hundred thousand years. Before Vakama's eyes, the robot began sinking into the ground, burying itself. He was in awe at the sight; he had seen nothing like it before. As the robot descended, a large cloud of dust, hundreds of feet high, billowed towards the village.

The dust cleared, and Vakama looked out upon the horizon, and there he saw a sight he had never thought to see again. "Toa Gali, look," he said, pointing. Gali looked out to the horizon as well, and there she saw a fantastic sight.

There it was: the island of Mata Nui. Where the robot's head had once been now stood an extension of the great ocean, Aqua Magna. The island was unmistakeable. Curls of smoke rose from the Mangai volcano. Nearby could be seen the pristine white slopes of Mount Ihu, the tall trees of Le-Wahi.

"How is it that Mata Nui has reappeared?" Gali asked, "What power could possibly be strong enough to create an island, with climates to match Mata Nui's?"

"Only the great creators, the Great Beings, could be capable of such a feat."

"If that's true," said Gali, "Then why would they do such a thing?"

"Who are we to question the wisdom of the Great Beings, they who created us? Surely they have a plan, and why should we not trust them?"

That night, the meeting of the Turaga began. They gathered in Dume's hut around the fire, the flames crackling and popping, casting twisted shadows on the wall.

"Brothers, sister," began Turaga Dume, "our brother Vakama has called this meeting to discuss a matter of grave importance." He gestured to Vakama, giving him the floor.

"Last night," began Vakama, "I had a vision. Toa Lhikan appeared to me, just as he did one thousand years ago. He told me to save Spherus Magna. He took me to Mata Nui, to the Kini-Nui, to Mangaia. There was something there, a powerful presence, more malevolent than even the Makuta.

"I thought this vision to be mere fancy. After all, Mata Nui no longer existed. But Toa Gali, and our sister Nokama, managed to clear me of my doubts. I have no doubt now that there is an evil presence here, waiting for the right moment to destroy us all.

"As you are no doubt aware, a large beam came from the stars today, sinking the robot we used to call home, as well as restoring the island of Mata Nui. I have no doubt that a key to defeating this villain is there."

"But," spoke Whenua, "What of the possibility that this malevolent presence is in fact present there, instead of this supposed key? After all, in your vision, the malevolent presence was there, was it not?"

"You raise a fine point Whenua," responded Vakama, "And your point makes sense. However, the island has just appeared, and I find it unlikely that the villain was created along with it. I believe the villain is out there somewhere, but he is not on Mata Nui."

"Brother," spoke up Nokama, "Do you have a plan?"

"Of course I do Nokama. I propose that all of us, minus Turaga Dume, travel to Mata Nui to find out the meaning behind my vision."

"But the vision told you to save Spherus Magna Vakama," said Onewa, "It didn't mention any of us."

"No, no it didn't," said Vakama, looking around at his friends. "But I once made the mistake of trying to work alone, and I learned the hard way that I am strongest, that _we_ are strongest, when we are united. So I ask you, will you journey with me to the island of Mata Nui, to find out the meaning of my vision?"

"Well fire-spitter," said Matau, speaking up for the first time, "I used to hate your thought-plans, but I don't think-believe that you'd lead us astray. You can count on me."

"And I," said Whenua.

"And I," replied Onewa.

"Of course I'm coming," said Nokama.

"You can count on me as well," said Nuju, leaving his language of clicks and whistles behind for the first time since they left Metru Nui.

"Well, my friends," said Vakama, "It is settled. Tomorrow, we depart for Mata Nui!" The other Turaga cheered this exclamation.

"Very well Vakama," said Turaga Dume, "I am appointing Toa Takanuva and Kopeke to join you, as well as Gresh if he will agree. This seems an excellent opportunity to prove that Toa and Glatorian can work together. And it could never hurt to have The Chronicler there to record what will surely be a momentous occasion."

"As you have said, so shall it be done."

The next morning, Takanuva and Kopeke were readying the boat that would carry them across the ocean, packing supplies and the like. Vakama came down to see their progress. "How goes the preparation, Toa of Light?" he queried.

"Speedily, Turaga. We will be ready to leave within the hour." He chuckled. "You know, it's funny."

"What is?"

"About a year ago, you sent me out from Ta-Koro on a journey. Now, here I am, accompanying you on a journey back to Ta-Koro."

"Ta-Koro will not be there, and you know it."

"I know, but maybe, once tensions between us and the Agori have died down, we could rebuild Ta-Koro. Just a thought."

"And a grand one at that…"

In just an hour, the boat was packed and ready to sail. Takanuva and Kopeke assisted the Turaga getting in, and Gresh, who had decided to come, got in as well. Using her elemental powers, Nokama sent the boat on its way to the island.

After a few minutes, Vakama broke the silence. "Gresh," he said, "What made you decide to accept this offer?"

"Well, I was friends with Mata Nui while he was here," he responded, "And I feel that if he was able to trust you, I should too. I know that most Glatorian are still warming up to the idea of having you around, and I think the only way to really get them to warm is to show them how well we all can work together."

"That is a belief I share," said Vakama.

Not much later, the boat arrived at the shores of the island. Takanuva was the first to go ashore. The rocky, volcanic soil felt good underneath his feet. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils. "Smells just like I remember it."

Vakama got out of the boat and looked around. "It looks exactly as I remember it." He looked at the horizon. The sun was setting. "We should make it to the volcano by nightfall. It will be a good place to set up camp."

Night had fallen, and they camped at the volcano, the lava giving them ample light; a fire was unneeded. Vakama was home. He looked out over the lava to where Ta-Koro had once been. He reminisced about the construction of the village, as well as its destruction. He vowed not to let that happen to his new village, wherever it should be. He would not let his home be taken from him again. It had happened before, but never again.

The very next day they had reached the Kini-Nui, the Great Temple. "I can see why you enjoyed it here so much," Gresh said, "This island is truly a marvelous place."

"Why thank you Gresh," Nokama responded, "However, this island is not all beautiful. There are truly some dark corners here."

"Much like the place we are trying to reach Nokama," Vakama reminded her.

The Turaga approached the temple. "Toa of Light, Glatorian," Vakama proclaimed, "You shall remain here and guard the entrance. The Chronicler shall come with us to record what shall transpire." Takanuva and Gresh nodded their assent, and Kopeke approached the temple as well. The Turaga surrounded it in a circle, before blasting the stone with their combined elemental powers. The rock shattered, leaving a tunnel open down to the Mangaia, Makuta Teridax's former lair.

The Turaga and Kopeke slowly made their dangerous descent into the darkness, Vakama's firestaff providing the only light in the tunnel. The going was long and arduous; sometimes they all had to stop for hours as Vakama and Whenua tried to determine which route to take.

However, soon they came upon the door to Teridax's lair. They went inside cautiously, being on their guard for anything. Who knew what creations of Teridax still haunted the place? They cautiously approached and skirted the pool of energized protodermis in the middle of the room. That stuff was highly volatile at best, and downright dangerous at worst.

The Turaga continued towards the gate, the gate leading to Metru Nui. However, a clink caused them to stop.

"Did you hear that?" asked Onewa.

*Clang*

They turned around. "What's that?" Nuju asked.

Suddenly, out of the darkness came a bright light. As it got closer to the pool of energized protodermis, the light dimmed, revealing a silver sphere, ten feet in diameter. It approached the ground, its surface rippling and shifting.

_Oh no,_ Vakama thought to himself, _If that thing got down here, what happened to Gresh and Takanuva?_ But he had no time to worry about that at the moment. There were more imminent problems.

The sphere began to take on the shape of a body, and as it formed itself, Vakama gasped. He recognized the form. _Impossible,_ he thought, _He's destroyed, dead. It can't be him._

The sphere finished changing form, and its liquid surface began to ripple and change, replacing itself with solid metal. The change crept up its legs to its torso, finally spreading to its arms and head. And there he stood: Makuta Teridax.

With his piercing, blood-red eyes, Teridax stared them all down. "Surprised?" He asked in his deep rumble, "You should know by now I always have contingencies." He gave them a wicked smile. "Spherus Magna will be mine." With those words, Teridax's form collapsed, reforming itself into a sphere again. It hovered directly over the pool. "However, before I leave, I think I should give you a parting gift."

With that, Teridax slammed his sphere form downward into the pool of energized protodermis. A wave rose, two dozen feet high, heading directly towards Kopeke and the Turaga. There was nowhere to turn, nowhere to run. Vakama closed his eyes and awaited the end.


	4. Chapter 3

Vezon found himself bodily lifted by Axonn, whose squinted eyes bored deep into his. "Why should we free him?"

Vezon smirked. "Simple. I made a deal." He flashed a gruesome smile at Axonn.

Axonn turned and smashed him into the living wall, which reached out to embrace him. "Why should I care about your deal?" Axonn yelled, "I have no personal interest whether you live or die. In fact," he tightened his grip on Vezon's neck, "I could kill you right here if I wanted to." He tightened his grip further, causing Vezon's legs to begin to spasm as he pried at Axonn's hand.

"But… you won't," choked out Vezon. "You… can't."

"And why can't I, you sniveling whelp?"

"Because I won't allow it," replied the Great Being. "If you kill him, I will personally ensure your demise."

Leaving Vezon thrashing, Axonn turned to face the Great Being. "How do I know you're not bluffing? As far as I can tell, you're incapable of freeing yourself on your own. If we just decided to leave you here, you'd be able to do nothing."

The Great Being chuckled, slowly clapping. "Great Beings never bluff. But, unfortunately, you're right. I can't free myself at present, but who is able to say whether or not I will contrive a way to do so in the future?" A glint appeared in his eye. "Can you afford to take that chance? Can you afford to make me your enemy?"

Artahka decided to interject. "That is still to be decided." He turned to his companions. "What do you think?"

Brutaka responded. "We believe that he, although a Great Being, must die. He is an unstable element in an unstable situation, and we will not have him wreaking havoc and destroying what has so recently been created."

"You and your 'we's," said Tuyet sarcastically, "Is there no I in there anymore?"

"There is no 'I', only 'we'", Brutaka responded, "It must be this way; there is no other; resistance would be futile."

Helryx thought deeply. "We must somehow remove this antidermis from Brutaka."

"It cannot be done," Brutaka replied, "There is no Brutaka, only Makuta. What you propose is impossible."

"On the contrary," replied the Great Being, "It's quite possible. Quite simple as well. Just a prick here, a prick there, and it's gone like that." He snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.

"You're bluffing," Brutaka growled.

"Tut tut. I guess I'll need to fix your hearing as well. Great Beings never bluff."

"We are Makuta. We cannot be stopped."

"I created your creator. And you _can_ be stopped, of that I am sure."

"This is getting us nowhere!" roared Miserix, "What is to be done with _him_!" Miserix pointed at the Great Being. "Something must be done!"

"In due time, Miserix. There is still much to discuss." replied Helryx.

"That much is clear," responded Tuyet.

"How can we kill a Great Being?" asked Kapura. "They gave us life, and we owe them our existence. Surely we can extend this one some sympathy."

"Sympathy? _Sympathy_! You believe we should sympathize with this babbling, incoherent, mad excuse for a Great Being!" Miserix raged, "If anything, it deserves a mercy killing!"

"Kapura is entitled to his opinion Miserix, as are you" piped Hafu.

"Beware crossing me, puny Matoran," said Miserix, "I could destroy you with but a flick of the wrist."

"Please, cease this bickering!" shouted Artahka. "There is still the matter at hand. Should we release this Great Being, or leave him here to rot?" A silence followed, punctuated only by the murmurings of the living, breathing bricks.

Vezon, still pinned to the wall by Axonn, choked out a response. "I vote for releasing him."

Axonn tightened his grip. "No one cares about your opinion Vezon. I myself am for leaving him here."

At this, the Great Being sunk back into the shadowy corner, seemingly resigned to his fate.

"A decision must be made," Artahka stated, "on what to do with this Great Being. Axonn, release Vezon." He did so, Vezon collapsing to the floor, gasping for breath.

"What do we do concerning the Great Being?" Artahka asked.

Axonn flexed his fingers. "I'm all for throttling him right here."

"That's impossible," said Helryx, "I got a few yards from him, and my armor began to strangle me. By the time you'd get close enough to get your hands around his throat, you'd be dead."

"How do you say Helryx?" asked Artahka, "Should we leave him here to rot, or release him?"

Helryx thought for a second. "Against my better judgment, I vote for releasing him. He is familiar with many things strange to us, and who knows what help he could provide us with in the future?"

Artahka smiled. "Well put Helryx. We should all reflect on her words."

At this, Tuyet decided to interject. "Oh, shut it you little suck-up. Let's leave him here to rot."

Artahka's eyes flashed with malice. "I should warn you against speaking to me in such a tone again. You may not live to regret it."

Miserix interjected, "Ah, enough with the talk. Let's leave the thing here with his bricks and chains."

"I wholeheartedly agree with you," replied Brutaka. They turned to leave.

At this, Kapura and Hafu yelled and chased after them. "Hey, we haven't gotten to vote yet!" They clung to Brutaka's and Miserix's legs.

"Let go," warned Brutaka, "You don't know what you want. That's why we were made to guard you."

"But we're here too! We deserve to be heard just like everyone else!" Hafu pined.

Artahka plucked the two of them from their respective legs. "Now, they make a good point Brutaka. What were you two going to vote?"

"I was going to vote to free him," said Hafu.

"Me too," said Kapura.

"And so do I," said Artahka. He looked up at Miserix and Brutaka. "It's a tie."

"And we're right back at where we started," sighed Tuyet.

"Not exactly." Artahka turned to Vezon.

"Oh, you can't be serious," pined Axonn.

"He's personally invested in this. He has more reason to decide than anyone else here."

"But he's raving mad!" raged Miserix.

"That may be," replied Artahka, "But he's a living being like the rest of us. He has a voice, and he deserves to be heard."

At this point, Vezon muttered something unintelligible. "What, Vezon?" Artahka asked. Vezon mumbled again. "A bit louder Vezon."

Vezon's head snapped up. "I said, leave him here to rot!" he spat.

Everyone stared speechlessly at Vezon. "But Vezon," questioned Axonn, "Wasn't freeing him part of your deal."

"To hell with the deal." Vezon stood up. "This guy's caused me more trouble than I ever wanted. I say goodbye, and good riddance." Vezon spat at the unmoving Great Being.

Artahka quickly composed himself. "Very well. Great Being," he said, turning to the namesake, "Do you have any last words?" The body didn't stir. It was as if it was dead.

Miserix laughed. "Not very talkative now are you, huh? Come on, let's get out of here. I have to get all this grime off my armor." They all walked outside, closing the doors behind them. Brutaka grabbed the iron handles of the doors and twisted them together with impossible strength. "No one's getting in there anymore," remarked Miserix.

"And we have to find Lewa," remarked Helryx, "Where'd he go anyway?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll turn up eventually," said Axonn, "I've noted he has the habit of dropping in when you least expect it."

Suddenly, a rumble reverberated through the ground. There was a large clattering sound behind. Everyone turned to look the fortress. It was collapsing! "Run!" Artahka yelled.

An explosion sounded, and bricks began pelting the ground around the company as they fled. Whistles could be heard as bricks whizzed by their heads, only to splinter apart on the ground right before them. It was a veritable tempest.

Kapura tripped, landing face first on the ground, shards of brick stinging his body. As he ran by, Axonn scooped him up, carrying him and protecting him from any more shrapnel.

Then the bricks stopped falling. Everyone turned. The fortress was a smoking husk. If they had stayed there but a minute longer, they would all be dead.

Gasping for breath, Axonn exclaimed, "What was that?"

Brutaka answered. "An explosive of some kind. It triggered just after we left the fortress."

"But who, or what, triggered it?" Helryx asked.

"We do not know," Brutaka replied, "Insufficient data. We must inspect the remains in order to ascertain the cause of the explosion." Brutaka advanced. "Remain here. It is possible there is still danger." Brutaka moved forward cautiously. He was near the epicenter of the blast when he tripped over something. He stooped to examine it. He brushed bricks aside to reveal what lay beneath. Wire. Obviously the wire used to relay the signal to the explosives. He yanked on it, revealing more of it, a trail of wire leading into the nearby trees. This was no remote system that had done this; someone had deliberately blown up the fortress. But who?

Brutaka cracked his knuckles. Whoever was in those trees had a lot of questions to answer. He advanced slowly and cautiously. For all he knew there were more about lying in wait for him. It would do no good to rush into a situation like this.

After a few tense minutes, Brutaka had reached the trees, and was poised to dive in. His fingers flexed in anticipation. Without a word, he dove in.

Miserix was using a nearby pond to wash his armor. "Ugh, that was disgusting. I'll never be able to get this filth off of me."

"I know what you mean," said Vezon, who was washing his armor as well. "It feels as if this dirt is ingrained into my armor."

Miserix raised an eyebrow. Something seemed off about the silver Skakdi, and yet he couldn't place his finger on it. It was just something… different.

Vezon looked up to see Miserix staring intently at him. "Is there something on my face, or am I just that beautiful to look at?"

Miserix shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Shut up you Skakdi scum."

Vezon cackled. "Oh, did little old me hit a nerve? Who would have thought I would be able to do such a thing to the 'great and mighty' Miserix?"

Miserix charged across the pond to grab Vezon by the throat. "I said shut up, filth!"

"Oh! You're quite feisty aren't you," asked Vezon, "This is the second time today I've had my throat nearly crushed. I guess third time's the charm."

Miserix tightened his grip. "A third time and you'll be dead."

"Miserix!" cried Helryx, "Release him."

With a low growl, Miserix complied. "As you wish." He dropped Vezon into the water before leaving it himself. He had to get as far away from Vezon as possible.

"Where are you going Miserix?" Vezon taunted, "You're just walking away? Pathetic." Vezon snarled as he too left the pond.

Miserix heard whispers. He turned to face Kapura and Hafu. "Did you say something?"

They both gave him puzzled looks. "No," said Hafu, "We didn't say anything."

Miserix continued walking. "I could have sworn…" His train of thought was interrupted by a large explosion in the distance.

Smoke curled from the trees. Miserix had seen Brutaka disappear in the same place not just a few minutes ago.

Axonn looked at the smoke in horror. "Brutaka!" he yelled, rushing to the source of the explosion.

"Axonn, no!" Artahka yelled, but it was too late. He ran after him, the rest soon following.

A few moments later, Axonn reached the site of the explosion. A large smoking crater extended fifty feet from the blast. "Brutaka!" Axonn yelled, "Brutaka!"

Soon the others showed up. Axonn turned to them, hysterical. "Help me look! He has to be here somewhere."

"Axonn," said Helryx, "That was a big blast. If Brutaka was around here, there's no way he could have survived!"

"Don't say that!" Axonn yelled. "Don't say that! He has to be here somewhere!"

Helryx didn't know what to do. But Axonn was set on finding Brutaka. If his body was here, at least the hysteria would end.

An hour later, they had scoured the explosion site for five hundred feet in every direction. "There's nothing here," said Miserix, "This is hopeless."

"He's right Axonn," said Artahka, "We've scoured this area completely, and we've found no remains whatsoever."

"He has to be here!" Axonn yelled, "He has to be here!"

Helryx went up and held his hand in hers. "Axonn, there's nothing here. It's most likely that he was so close to the explosion that his body was vaporized."

Axonn became despondent; there was no way he could accept that his friend was dead.

Helryx sighed. "We'll keep looking. But if we can't find him or his body soon, we'll have to stop. We have to find a village of some sort."

Axonn nodded. "Okay."

Fifteen minutes later, Helryx decided to call off the search. They all assembled in the clearing caused by the explosion. "It's time we all left to find civilization of some sort." Helryx stated. "We can't stay out here forever."

"I concur," said Artahka, "Earlier, I noticed some smoke coming from that direction, indicative of a village." He pointed towards the setting sun. "I believe that if we leave now, we can reach it before nightfall."

Just as Artahka set off, he slapped a hand to the side of his neck and collapsed. Everyone else assumed defensive postures. "What was that?" asked Kapura.

"I don't know," Helryx asked. "Vezon! You've been here longer than us. Do you know anything about this jungle?" No response. "Vezon?" Helryx turned around. Vezon wasn't there.

"That slime! He abandoned us!" Miserix raged.

"But for what reason?" Axonn asked. "What purpose would it serve?"

"I think-" Helryx was cut short as she too clapped a hand to her neck and collapsed.

"They're using poison darts!" Miserix yelled.

"How primitive," commented Axonn.

"What do we-" Hafu collapsed as well, soon followed by Kapura.

"What do we do Miserix?" Axonn asked.

"I suggest we run."

"Run! If we leave them here, they may die!" Axonn yelled.

"And if we stay we all may die!" Miserix yelled, "We must flee! Better to live as a coward than die a fool!"

"You are right, begrudgingly," Axonn stated, "Run on my mark. Follow me." He scanned the trees to attempt to spot any of the savages. "Go!" Axonn took off through the trees, Miserix close behind. "We have to reach the village!" he yelled.

Axonn and Miserix reached the clearing where the remains of the fortress lay. As soon as they cleared the trees, they stopped.

Surrounding them was a large circle of what must have been the savages. There must have been hundreds of them, all armed with spears.

Miserix roared. "Come at me! I will never surrender!"

"You just suggested running a minute ago. What makes this any different?" Axonn asked.

"Now we can see our enemies," Miserix responded, "And I plan to kill every last one of them."

"There's too many," said Axonn. "We'd be killed before we could kill them all. The smart thing to do is surrender."

"Surrender! To run is one thing; to surrender is another. If we surrender we may die!"

"And if we fight we will certainly die," said Axonn. "We must surrender."

With a growl, Miserix ceded. "Very well. We'll do this your way." He adopted a nonviolent posture.

The savages closed in and surrounded them, their spear points dangerously close. One pack of savages lightly prodded them, signaling to them a way to go. "Do what they say," said Axonn. "We may just get out of this."

"I wouldn't count on that," replied Miserix.


	5. Chapter 4

Angonce looked down at the virtual map. Things were not going well.

Angonce scrolled the map over to the site of the new Matoran village. The robot that had formerly dominated the landscape there had disappeared. A quick sensor scan revealed that the robot had disappeared underground. But the odd thing: the robot's power systems were functioning again. A quick scan revealed that there was no consciousness inside the robot. It was merely an empty shell. And yet it was somehow running perfectly, maintaining its interior environments as masterfully as Mata Nui had.

In addition, the robot's camouflage system had activated itself, forming the camouflage island over its face. Angonce was utterly baffled. That robot should be decaying, but it was functioning just as well as ever. That beam from the sky must have contained pure energy, enough to jump-start the robot's systems and somehow keep them functioning without the Matoran maintaining the systems. But…

No that couldn't be right…

Angonce moved to the other side of the console. This couldn't be… His equipment must be malfunctioning. There were massive life readings coming from within. Just over half a million. Angonce ran the numbers through his computer. Exactly the same amount of lifeforms the robot had set out with one hundred thousand years ago. But what were they? The robot's exterior prevented any detailed scans to the inside, but still, there were over 500,000 life forms in there. Obviously that beam had been more than energy. Somehow, someway, something had managed to fire a beam containing over 100,000 tons of matter, over half a million individual memory and personality patterns, as well as enough raw energy to activate the robot. The whole thing pointed to something great, something powerful.

"Computer," Angonce said, "Request playback of events occurring at time nine zero zero one five two mark three."

The computer whizzed and hummed for a few seconds before producing an image of the scene that began to play. Angonce looked at the beam. "Analyze trajectory and calculate source." The computer whizzed. A screen popped showing the neighboring sections of space. A long line was drawn. Words flashed on the screen. "No possible source within the galaxy based on trajectory of beam." That left Angonce dumbfounded. Something from outside the galaxy, some force of unfathomable intelligence, had fired this beam? "Computer, backtrack the orbits of all planets and stars. Find a planet which is in line with the beam, accounting for gravitational lensing, and is also located a distance from Spherus Magna that a beam fired from there could have reached Spherus Magna at the precise moment that it did." The computer set to work. It would take a few days to work it out, but Angonce had a hunch.

Angonce looked out his window, normally kept shut, at the sky. "What are you playing at?" He asked no one. He had a reasonable belief that his brothers and sisters were behind this. But if so, what? What would be the purpose in firing such a beam? And was it meant to hit the robot? The aiming was too perfect to suggest otherwise. It hit the robot directly in the center of the chest to the nearest micrometer. Only his brothers and sisters were capable of such precision. But they had no idea that the robot would be there, in that precise location. Or had they? Or had they managed to somehow get past that pesky theory of relativity?

Then his thoughts turned the computer's original hypothesis. Of course, stupid thing that it was, it hadn't taken into account the movement of the planets and stars. But what if it was correct? What if something from Andromeda had fired that beam? Again, what was the purpose? Angonce puzzled for hours, but no solution came to him.

Angonce had dozed off, but was awakened by a beeping noise on the map. Something important. Angonce pulled it up, scanning for the source of this disturbance. It was the robot again. He pulled up the data on the number of life forms inside, only to be alarmed to see that the number had spiked to over 6 million. "Clarification on spike in number of life forms in sector zero nine one." A data sheet sprung up. The computer, in a standard scan sweep, had broadened its search parameters to include lower levels of life, fauna. As Angonce scrolled through the data, he became more and more puzzled. This force at work had not only managed to plant half a million high-level life forms, capable of coherent thought and reason, into the robot, but nearly five and a half million fauna as well. This was a powerful force at work here. But what were its motives? Good? Evil? Angonce sincerely hoped it was the former.

Klaxon alarms began to sound, bathing the room in a deep red light. A large red dot appeared on the edge of Angonce's map. A new life form had come under his surveillance. It used to be that this equipment could scan anything anywhere on the planet, but The Shattering and one hundred thousand years of disrepair had reduced its range to merely one hundred leagues. And something disturbing to the system had just entered that range.

"Analyze and match." This would tell who him who exactly this was. The name flashed on the screen, and Angonce's jaw dropped. Him? He cursed under his breath. Of course. How could he have forgotten about him? A hundred thousand years had dulled his senses. "Well, hello there," he quipped, "Long time no see."

But this was bad. If anyone found him… He wasn't a threat, but if anyone found out who he really was… He had to find him before anyone else did.

Angonce opened the cache in the wall. His armor stood there, still the same deep green color it had been when he had last worn it. But that was a long time ago. It was better not to think about it. Angonce strapped on his armor and grabbed his staff. It was best to be prepared. It was a dangerous world out there, even more so with the introduction of the rahi.

Angonce put in the combination to open the door. This was his first time leaving his lab in a couple thousand years, and a lot had changed since then. It would be best if he wasn't seen. He brought his left arm up, inputting a few commands on the device strapped to his wrist. He shimmered for a few seconds before disappearing.

The door slammed shut, and footprints with seemingly no source sprang up in the grass, heading towards Bota Magna.


	6. Chapter 5

"Mavrah, Mavrah, why does that sound familiar?" Pohatu asked. "Where have I heard it before?"

"I believe that this is not the time to be asking that," Kopaka replied.

"Why? We're in here. We eluded them didn't we?" Pohatu leaned back against the door.

Kopaka activated his Akaku Nuva, piercing through the wall behind Pohatu. "I don't believe so." There was a bang at the door. It opened a bit, glowing eyes peeking through the gap. Kopaka threw his weight against the door, the door clanging shut. He froze the entire border of the door, ice a couple of inches thick forming. He and Pohatu backed up. There was another bang. The door stayed closed, but the ice cracked, flakes falling off. "That won't hold them for long," said Kopaka. "Mavrah, where can we go that's safe?"

"Follow me," said Mavrah before running off.

Kopaka began to follow him, utilizing his Akaku Nuva to see the infrared light, but was stopped by Pohatu grabbing his arm. "Kopaka, I can't see." Understanding, Kopaka shared his mask with Pohatu, quickly following and catching up with Mavrah.

"Left," called out Mavrah, before turning in said direction. Kopaka and Pohatu followed. Bangs began to sound from all around. As they ran down the long hallway, the lights flickered into life, before promptly going out again. Doors banged open down the hallway, and forms materialized from the darkness, only visible by the light emanating from their eyes. They advanced, moaning in what sounded like pain. Mata Nui, there were hundreds! "Go back!" Mavrah yelled. They turned, only to find that way blocked as well. They were trapped!

Mavrah began feeling along the wall, near where it met the floor. "Come on, come on," he mumbled. "It has to be here. It has to-got it!" There was a clang and the rasp of metal on metal as Mavrah pulled out the ventilation duct cover he had been looking for. "This way!" he cried, climbing in. Pohatu followed, Kopaka bringing up the rear.

Kopaka quickly froze the duct opening. Looking through the wall, Kopaka could see them beating at the ice, but to no avail; the ice was too thick. However, the ice wouldn't hold forever, and Kopaka desperately hoped that Mavrah knew where he was going. He hurried to catch up with Pohatu and Mavrah.

"What are those things?" Pohatu asked.

"The ones that they couldn't fix properly," Mavrah responded.

"What do you mean 'fix'?" Pohatu asked, "And who are 'they'?"

"I can answer your second question right now. The Kestora are 'they', the beings you met before. They run this place."

"They run the Red Star?" Pohatu inquired, "But what needs running? What's the purpose of this place? What needs running?"

"Later," replied Mavrah. "We need to reach a safe place first."

"What kind of place did you have in mind?" Kopaka asked.

"The very bottom level," Mavrah said. "No one's ever gone down that far. In fact, as far as I know, the Kestora don't even know it exists."

"So how do you know it does?" Pohatu queried.

"I started digging around in old records rooms, and I found a layout of this place. I started counting levels, and I found out that there was one that couldn't be gotten to conventionally. However, there's still power and ventilation to it, so there must be something down there," said Mavrah.

"Why don't we head to wherever the Kestora control the Star from?" Pohatu asked. "Surely it would be safe there."

"The Kestora don't seem to control this place," said Mavrah. "They just maintain it. They don't seem to pilot the Star or control its systems in any way." Mavrah dropped down a vent, making quite a bit of noise. "All they do is what they were made to do."

"Which is?" Kopaka asked.

"Later, once we're there," replied Mavrah.

They eventually reached a place where the only way to go was back up. Mavrah looked around and found a vent in the side. Pushing it out, he slid through. "Here we are," said Mavrah, emerging into a pitch-black room. With his Akaku Nuva, Kopaka looked up and saw Kestora and many beings, while looking down produced only a few feet of metal and wires until you could see Spherus Magna. They were in fact at the bottom of the Red Star.

"So, now that we're safe," said Pohatu, "Perhaps you could answer my questions. What is this place?"

"Well, you may not believe this, but you're inside the Red Star," Mavrah stated.

"So Gaardus was telling the truth after all," Kopaka mumbled.

"Gaardus is here?" Mavrah trembled, "I've heard a lot about him, and none of it's good."

"What did he do?" Pohatu asked.

"No one knows," said Mavrah. "The Kestora do, but none of them will tell anyone."

"What exactly do they do?" Pohatu asked. "They said they keep this place operating, so what do they operate? You just said they don't steer or control the Star in any way. What is their function?"

"I'm, I'm afraid it's a bit… macabre," said Mavrah. "They… fix us, those of us that come here."

"Well, how do you get here?" Pohatu asked, but before Mavrah could answer, he interjected. "Now I know who you are! The Turaga talked about you! You were living with some Rahi when they left Metru Nui! You're dead!" he exclaimed.

Kopaka searched his memory. Pohatu was right. The Turaga had indeed said that Mavrah had died. A tidal wave had swept him away. But if that was true, what was he doing here?

"You are correct," said Mavrah, "I did die."

"Then if you're here," said Kopaka, "Does that mean we're dead too?"

"Oh joy of joys!" exclaimed Pohatu, "I get to spend the afterlife with my quiet and boring brother!" At this, Kopaka threw a look of rage in Pohatu's direction. "What?"

"Please, please, if you'll just let me explain!" interjected Mavrah. "This place, the Red Star is a hospital of sorts. When someone dies, they're brought here. The Kestora fix you up, then they send you back. Well, they try to fix you at least. Those things we saw in the halls are the ones that didn't get fixed up quite right. Their brains aren't working properly. They've only got the basic survival instincts, so they just aimlessly wander the halls searching for someone to attack. The Kestora do the best they can to keep them confined, but it's getting harder and harder."

"Then why are you still here?" queried Pohatu.

"Something's wrong with the system. They can't send anyone back," said Mavrah.

"So that's one mystery solved," said Kopaka, "That's what the Kestora meant when they said they couldn't send us back."

"No one, not even the Kestora, know why we can't go back."

"Wait a second," said Pohatu, "Didn't the Kestora say that it was Gaardus' fault that this place wasn't operating?"

"You're right brother," said Kopaka. "Now, the question is, what did he do to stop it from operating?"

"Well, like I said, the Kestora won't tell anyone."

"But it seemed to me that the Kestora themselves don't even know why it's not operating properly anymore," said Pohatu. "They said they wanted to find out why we couldn't go back."

"So that rules out the Kestora being of any use," said Mavrah. "It seems to me like our only option is to find Gaardus and get him to explain what he did."

"Kopaka," said Pohatu, "Think you can find him?"

Nodding in assent, Kopaka's Akaku Nuva whizzed into life, looking upwards, examining the entire interior of the Red Star. "I can't make out any specific life forms. It's hard to tell one thing from another. However, there is clearly a very large life form at the very top of the Red Star, much larger than anything else I can see. It's the closest bet we have to finding Gaardus."

"That's all well and good," said Mavrah, "But two Toa and a Matoran aren't going to be enough to get through all of the security systems the Kestora have jury-rigged throughout this place."

"Couldn't we just take the ventilation shaft all the way to the top?" Pohatu asked.

"No ventilation shaft goes straight from the top to the bottom," said Mavrah, "At best, we'd have to take at least five separate ventilation shafts, and that's going to involve going through a lot of hallways, and probably fighting through a lot of the unfixed and Kestora. What we need is someone who knows these hallways better than anyone. Not a Toa; we don't have many fixed Toa here anyway, and those there are have been mostly enlisted by the Kestora as a security force. But there is a Turaga that I believe can help us." Mavrah found his way back to the ventilation shaft. "Come on. He's just a few levels up." He began climbing, Pohatu and Kopaka quickly following.

"So who is this Turaga anyhow?" Pohatu asked as he climbed, "Where'd he come from?"

Mavrah was counting off the floors. "I don't know. He keeps to himself a lot. No one knows who he is or where he came from."

"Great," grumbled Kopaka, "Another Turaga with a bunch of secrets. Someday when they refuse to answer a straight question, I'll take their tools and shove them up their-"

Kopaka was interrupted by Mavrah. "Level Four, we're here!" he exclaimed, prying off the cover. "Come on. This level's mostly deserted except for a few Kestora patrols. We should be fine, but keep your eyes open." They crept down the hallway. Mavrah turned a corner but soon after doing so backpedaled furiously. He held up a finger to silence the Toa, then turned back and peeked around the corner. He turned back. "Five Kestora down near the end of the hall," he whispered, "All armed. Luckily they're not facing this way, but they'll be coming this way soon. We can't go back to the ventilation ducts, because they regularly check those as well. Can you two handle them?"

"Leave it to me," Pohatu said, before using his mask to whiz off down the hall. He returned a split second later carrying five of the Kestora's weapons. "This really is too easy. I wish it were more of a challenge." Sounds of feet pounding against the floor reached their ears as the Kestora approached. Pohatu sprang around the corner as they approached, punching the nearest one in the jaw, sending it reeling and into the nearest wall, where it slumped, unconscious. Pohatu dove back in, delivering a punishingly painful roundhouse kick to the side of another Kestora's head. It fell to the floor, its head hitting the metal with a loud clang. Pohatu was ready to dive back into the fray when a spear of ice lanced through the air, freezing the other three Kestora into a solid block of ice. Kopaka also froze the fourth to the floor, and was about to do the same to the one against the wall, when Pohatu stopped him. "How about you put the Toa weapon down and not freeze this one brother? We could use some information. They know more about this place than any of us. Just freeze his lower half." Kopaka complied, freezing him from the waist down.

The Kestora came to, trying to move and escape, but Kopaka's ice held him fast. He struggled to free himself, but to no avail. "Release me! Now!" yelled the Kestora, "Release me if you know what's good for you!"

Kopaka smirked. "You are in a position to demand nothing. On the other hand, we are in a position to grant nothing."

Pohatu knelt down. "I think I know what's good for me: information. So since it's so good for me, why don't you give me some? Hmm? How's that sound?" The Kestora merely continued to struggle. Pohatu sighed, "Okay, let's start with a really simple one. What did Gaardus do last time he was here?" The Kestora froze.

"You can't go back," said the Kestora.

"Yes," said Pohatu, "I believe that's already been established for us. We can't go back. Why? Did Gaardus do something that prevents us from going back? What did Gaardus do?"

"You can't go back," repeated the Kestora.

"Yes, we know," said Pohatu, beginning to tire of this. "Now, is whatever Gaardus did the reason we can't go back?"

Tears began to pour from the Kestora's eyes. "You can't go back," it cried, "You can't go back, YOU CAN'T GO BACK!" It reared its head. "You can't go back! Why can't you go back! It's all his fault! It's his! He was the last one to go! You can't go back! Why can't you go back!" Pohatu silenced him with a swift kick to the head.

"You killed him!" Mavrah shouted.

"Relax," said Pohatu, brushing it off, "He's alive, just unconscious. All these things seem to do is talk."

"Agreed," replied Kopaka, "They just repeat the same stuff over and over again. We can't go back. Why can't we? I just wish someone would give us a straight answer for once."

"Now, where's the fun in that?" asked Pohatu, smirking. "Figuring things out is so much fun!"

Kopaka sighed. "You sound like Lewa."

Pohatu turned around. "Well, at least we got some information out of him. Whatever Gaardus did, he made it so that no one who comes here can leave."

"True, but what exactly did he do?" Kopaka questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Pohatu turned to look at the unconscious Kestora. "I don't think even the Kestora know. They just know the effect, not the cause."

"So we're back to where we started," said Kopaka, "searching for Gaardus. So Mavrah, where's this Turaga you said could help us?"

Still a bit stunned, Mavrah stammered out an answer. "Uh, th-this way," he pointed. He walked down the hallway, counting the doors until he stopped in front of one. "This is it." He knocked, and the door slid open with a slight grating sound. Mavrah stepped inside the pitch-black room.

"Why is that room so dark?" Pohatu asked.

Kopaka furrowed his brow. "I don't like this." Raising their Toa weapons, he and Pohatu cautiously advanced into the room, only for the door to slam shut behind them.

"I knew it," said Kopaka to Pohatu, "He betrayed us." Right as he was about to freeze Mavrah, the lights came on, blinding him. A staff pounded into his gut, causing Kopaka to collapse to the floor.

Pohatu turned to see a Turaga, obviously one of fire, due to the red coloring, with a gold mask on that looked suspiciously like Tahu's. He looked down at Kopaka. "Now, what kind of gratitude is that? Attacking the Matoran who saved your life?"

Kopaka, grunting in pain, slowly got to his feet. "So, he wasn't lying."

The Turaga glared at him. "Of course not. Could an Onu-Matoran hope to survive if he was attacked by two Toa? I apologize for the hit, by the way. But I couldn't just stand by and let you freeze poor Mavrah."

"The fault is mine, wise one," said Kopaka. "It is an honor to meet you. What should I call you?"

"There are many things you could call me," said the Turaga, "And many things that I have been called before. But you may call me Lhikan."

"Lhikan!" Pohatu exclaimed. "Kopaka! It's Lhikan! The one the Turaga told us about! The great hero!"

Lhikan questioningly raised a brow. "Turaga? What Turaga?"

"Vakama and the others," responded Kopaka calmly.

"Ah, so they fulfilled their destinies after all," said Lhikan, "Just like I knew they would. That is good. Now, I believe your friend said your name was Kopaka. Are you _the _Kopaka, the one of legend?" Kopaka responded only with a nod. Lhikan then turned to Pohatu."Then you must be Pohatu." He sighed. "So, you failed. Mata Nui will forever sleep, for there is no way back."

"We're not dead," said Kopaka. "Our deaths didn't bring us here. Gaardus did."

"How can you be so calm brother!" Pohatu yelled. "You see a legendary hero you never expected to, and you're completely calm?"

"He was bound to be here somewhere," grumbled Kopaka. "Everyone who dies comes here, so it only made sense that Lhikan was here somewhere." They turned to face him.

Lhikan looked stricken. "Gaardus! He's back?" He put a hand to his temple. "From what I've heard, he's the reason we can't go back."

"That seems to be the consensus," said Pohatu. "You wouldn't happen to know why would you?"

"I'm afraid that I do not, although I must say that I am eager to find out," responded Lhikan.

"Well, here's your chance," said Kopaka, "We're currently on our way to the top of this place. Mavrah told us you know the layout of this place better than almost anyone."

"That is true," pondered Lhikan.

"Could you guide us to the top?" asked Pohatu.

"It would be my pleasure to assist such legends as yourselves," said Lhikan. As he was speaking, footsteps could be heard running by outside. "It would seem your journey here has not gone unnoticed," he said. "Follow me, quickly." He hobbled to the door, looking out to the left and right. "The Kestora are admiring your handiwork. Now's our chance." He pointed to the right with his staff. "That way, hurry." Kopaka, Pohatu, and Mavrah ran, Lhikan hobbling after them as fast as he could.

"Hey!" yelled a voice. They all turned to see the Kestora aiming their weapons at them. "Don't move!" yelled the leader. "Just stay where you are and no one gets hurt!"

Pohatu began to move towards them. "Can't we just talk about this?"

"The time for talking is done!" screamed another Kestora as he pulled the trigger of his weapon. There was a large _zap!_, and a large bolt of energy flew from the weapon, hitting Pohatu square in the chest, knocking him backwards and onto the floor. "You come here uninvited, bring Gaardus with you, hurt our comrades, and you think you can just talk it all away!"

Kopaka stepped up. "Pohatu, take Mavrah and Lhikan and go find Gaardus. I'll handle these idiots."

"But Kopaka-" Pohatu, still in pain, struggled to stand. Finally managing to do so, he stood shakily, emitting groans of pain and visibly shaking.

"This is no time to argue!" yelled Kopaka. "Go! Now! You're in no condition to fight!"

Reluctantly, Pohatu complied, and supported by Mavrah and Lhikan, he limped down the corridor.

He turned back to face the Kestora, who still had their weapons raised and aimed at him. "It doesn't have to be this way." He raised his Toa weapon at them. "If you turn around and walk away, I'll be merciful." The Kestora didn't move. "So be it." he rushed forward, his weapon raised. Fire from the Kestora rushed at Kopaka. He formed a solid wall of ice in front of him, which reflected the energy bolts back at the dozen Kestora, hitting half of them. He vaulted forward through the wall, shattering it completely in a storm of glittering shards. He stormed through the Kestora, kicking and punching them until they fell. As a coup de grace, he stabbed his weapon into the floor, creating a wave of ice, freezing the rest of the Kestora in place. Plucking it out, he silently walked down the corridor to catch up with Pohatu and the others.


	7. Chapter 6

Groggily, Takanuva slowly came to. What happened? A tame Muaka had found him and Gresh. It was easy to deal with; they just had to gingerly scare it away. But then the Muaka had shape-shifted, turning silver in the process. It turned into a large silver sphere, then engulfed him. That was all he remembered.

As he looked up, he noticed the sun was setting. He had been out the entire day! He pushed himself up, his muscles groaning in pain. As he shakily stood, he took a look around. No signs of a struggle. Had Gresh been beaten as well, or had he escaped? His question was answered by a nearby groan. Takanuva limped around, finding the source in a nearby bush. It was Gresh.

"Gresh!" he cried. "What happened?" No response. "Gresh!" Still no response. Takanuva began pounding on his chest. "Wake." He pounded again. "Up." He was greeted by coughing. Sighing in relief, Takanuva laughed a bit. "Don't scare me like that."

Gresh, waking up, began to look around. "What happened?" he slurred.

Takanuva sat back, resting against the ground as he calmed down and relaxed. "I don't know. Do you remember the Muaka?"

His parched throat wanting water, Gresh croaked out an answer. "Yes. I remember it turned into a large silver sphere, engulfed you, then me. What was it?"

"I don't know," replied Takanuva, "but it felt immensely powerful. It exuded power. It could have killed us if it wanted to."

"So why didn't it?" asked Gresh. "To have a Glatorian and Toa at your mercy, then letting them live? Why?"

"Obviously we're not dealing with anything wild," said Takanuva. "What's at work here is a great intelligence."

"Killing us wasn't part of its plan," replied Gresh. "It didn't suit its needs at the time."

"Exactly. Any being that can reason and plan like that is a possible threat."

"But what can we do?"

"At present?" Takanuva asked himself, standing up. "Nothing. It isn't our duty. Our duty right now is to protect the Turaga." His eyes widened and his mouth went agape. "The Turaga! It must be here for them!"

Shakily, Gresh stood up, brandishing his swords. "Then we must save them. Whatever the cost."

In turn, Takanuva brandished his staffs of light. "Indeed. Even if they're dead, it would be a dishonor to do any less than avenge them." He turned. "Let's go." He and Gresh strode purposefully towards the Kini-Nui.

Gresh coughed. "I think- I think this might be the end. There's no way we can defeat it in our current condition. It's much too powerful."

Takanuva smirked. "It caught us by surprise last time." His grip on his staffs tightened. "I refuse to let that happen again. Even if I die, I will do all I can to fulfill my duty."

It was a matter of minutes before they reached the Kini-Nui, finding the temple smashed to pieces. They approached the tunnel to the underground, which had burn marks located all along its length. "It would seem our friend has been this way," remarked Takanuva.

"It wants us to follow it," said Gresh. "Why else would it make its presence so blatantly obvious?"

"Precisely," replied Takanuva, smiling. "And it's quite rude to decline an invitation, don't you think?"

Gresh smiled at him in return. "Yes it is. And I would terribly hate to offend our friend." He gestured at the hole. "After you."

Without a second thought, Takanuva jumped down the hole, Gresh following.

Soon they reached Teridax's old lair. "This brings back memories," said Takanuva, shivering. To think that just over a year he had battled and defeated Makuta Teridax in this very room. "And not very good ones."

"Where are the Turaga and Kopeke?" asked Gresh. "They couldn't have climbed back up. We'd have seen their footprints. The gate's closed, so they couldn't go ahead. They have to be here, in this room."

"Do they have to be Gresh?" asked Takanuva. "That thing can absorb its prey. We were lucky enough to be spit out. Is it necessarily true that the same thing happened to them?"

"Or maybe they fell into this stuff," said Gresh, leaning over the pool of energized protodermis. "What is this anyway?" He leaned out even farther. "I think there's something moving down there."

"Stay back!" yelled Takanuva, yanking Gresh back. "Do you know what that stuff can do to you?"

"Uh…" Gresh blinked in confusion. "No. Should I?"

"That's energized protodermis right there! If you so much as just touch it, it'll either transform you or kill you!"

Gresh's jaw dropped. "Energized protodermis!" He stood. "I… I haven't heard those words in a hundred thousand years, ever since the Shattering. I had no idea it still existed."

Takanuva cocked his head. "The Shattering?" he asked. "What's that?"

Gresh quickly explained. "A hundred thousand years ago, energized protodermis began to leak out of the planet onto the surface. Long story short, there was a massive war over it that the Great Beings failed to stop. No one has seen it since. I didn't know it still existed on the surface."

Takanuva looked into the pool as well. "Well, in our universe it wasn't all that common either. It's-" Takanuva was interrupted by a loud groan.

"Where did that come from?" Takanuva asked. "Shh. Listen." There was another groan, a higher-pitched and more feminine one. Takanuva and Gresh stared intently at a corner obstructed by a large pillar.

"Oh, my head," came a voice.

"Come on! No time to lose!" yelled Gresh as he sprinted towards the corner, Takanuva following him. They reached the pillar, quickly running around to the sources of the groans.

Then they stopped.

Laying on the floor were six Toa, one each of water, fire, ice, earth, stone, and air. They looked remarkably like carvings Takanuva had seen on Mata Nui, back when he was Takua. Gali had first told him about them when Nokama had locked her in a cave as she searched for a Kanohi Nuva. Gali had told him her suspicions. He was the Chronicler; it was his job to investigate such things. So he had gotten Macku to take him there in her boat. His journey confirmed Gali's story; the carvings were clearly of Toa, and these Toa looked exactly like those. No… it couldn't be. But he had to see.

Takanuva bent down to the Toa of fire. He placed a hand on his shoulder, lightly shaking him. "Vakama?" he queried.

The Toa of fire raised his head and looked at Takanuva. "Huh? Wha?" he asked. "What do you want Ta- Takanuva?" Tired, he lowered his head down to the ground, his eyes closing.

Takanuva's eyes widened. "I- I don't believe it." He backed up in disbelief at the scene before him.

"What?" asked Gresh. "He's obviously out of it right now. He heard someone talking to him and instinctively responded. It's a simple explanation."

"Then how do you explain the fact that he knew my name?" asked Takanuva.

"Well, from all I've been told, you're fairly famous," responded Gresh. "He just recognized you, that's all. If you're as famous as I've heard, it's not implausible."

"Then, assuming that's true, where are Vakama and the others? Why would whatever came down here kill Vakama and the others and leave these Toa? Surely these Toa pose more of a threat than the Turaga."

For once, Gresh was left with no retort. "But that's impossible," he muttered to himself.

Takanuva turned to face him. "Impossible? IMPOSSIBLE? Impossible is defeating the Makuta in single combat! Impossible is defying the most powerful organization in the universe! Impossible is defeating God! So don't tell me what's impossible Gresh! I've done the impossible!" Foaming at the mouth and with red eyes, Takanuva finished.

"It- it's just, I've never seen anything like this before," responded Gresh, taken aback. "I've neither seen nor known anything like this before in my life. It's completely-" One of the Toa groaned.

"What are we doing?" yelled Takanuva. "We're sitting here arguing while they need our help!"

Takanuva and Gresh set about sitting them upright and trying to coax them back to consciousness. Luckily, after a few minutes, they showed signs of stirring. Takanuva bent down. "Vakama?" he called. "Vakama?" The red Toa opened his eyes. He leaned forward, gritting his teeth and pain and grabbing his forehead.

"Oh my head," he said. "Takanuva, what happened? And I thought I told you to stand guard with Gresh."

Takanuva had a sharp intake of breath. "It really is you."

Vakama turned to look at him. "Of course it's me. Why wouldn't it be me?" As his eyes turned away, he saw his arms. "What?" He brought his hands down in front of his face. "What? But this is?" He began to look himself all over. "I'm… I'm… a Toa." Hearing groans, he turned sharply to his right. "Nokama, Nuju, Whenua, Onewa, Matau. Them too." Exhausted, he leaned back. "What happened to us? Last I remember there was energized protodermis coming at us. I thought-" His eyes widened in disbelief. "No. It couldn't be."

"It must have been," replied Takanuva, standing up. "For one reason or another, you six were destined to become Toa again. The only question now is, what is your destiny?"

A short time later, the remaining five Turaga, or Toa, more appropriately, had regained consciousness, all having a similar reaction to Vakama as to their new state. They quickly related their story. Takanuva and Gresh then told what had happened to them.

"Fascinating," puzzled Vakama. "There is some great being at work here. It is imperative that we hunt it down and defeat it before it can do any more harm than it already has. It was trying to kill us with the energized protodermis. It was the only way to leave no trace of us."

"But, being as you survived, it will be after you again." Gresh stood up. "We can't stay here. We must-" He stopped.

"What's wrong Gresh?" asked Takanuva.

With his voice trembling, Gresh responded. "Takanuva, where's Kopeke?" Nokama covered her mouth in horror. Everyone was crestfallen. In the shock of the moment, they had all forgotten the Ko-Matoran.

"He- he must have died."

There came a laugh from the far side of the room. "Not exactly." They all turned to see a Toa of ice limping out of the shadows.

"Kopeke!" they all cried, rejoicing. They ran over to him, asking him questions. How did he feel? How did he get over there? What exactly had happened to him?

Kopeke held his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm feeling a bit confused right now. The wave washed me over here, I guess. And by the looks of it, what happened to me happened to you as well. However, I was able to stay conscious for a short while afterwards, and I saw Teridax head through the gate. He's going down to Metru NuI!"

"Metru Nui!" cried the Toa Metru at the mention of their home.

"Teridax!" cried Takanuva and Gresh at the mention of their nemesis' name.

"Are you absolutely sure, Kopeke?" asked Nokama.

"Positive," replied Kopeke. "There was no mistaking it. He went to the gate and passed straight through it. He seeped through all of the cracks in the stone."

"So, that sphere of protodermis we encountered was Teridax?" asked Takanuva. "How can he still be alive? Mata Nui crashed Aqua Magna into his head."

"Given all that he's survived in the past, I'm not shock-surprised," said Matau.

"What are we going to do?" asked Whenua.

"It's obvious isn't it?" Vakama asked rhetorically. "We must, all nine of us, descend to Metru Nui and stop whatever plan Teridax has before it goes any farther. We owe it to this planet and its people to protect them."

"I agree," said Onewa, "but how are we supposed to get through that?" He pointed to the gate, beyond which lay Metru Nui.

Nuju stepped forward. "Stand back." Summoning his mask power, he began to raise the gate inch by inch. The strain was evident on his face, but still he persevered. "Go, go!" he cried.

"We're not leaving you Nuju!" cried Nokama.

"Sister, if you don't go, you won't be able to stop Teridax. Now go! Go!"

Reluctantly, the other members of the group ran towards the gate. "Come on Nuju!" Vakama yelled once they had all gone past.

Through gritted teeth, Nuju replied. "No brother. You go ahead. I'll go back to the village and protect everyone else and warn them of Teridax."

"But we can defeat him!" cried Whenua. "We did it once before, and we can do it again!"

"Nuju, we're stronger when we're united!" called Nokama.

"I'm sorry, sister. But it looks like you'll have to go on without me."

"Oh no we're not!" Kopeke's arm stretched out like rubber, traveling past the gate. His hand grew in size until it was able to grab and fully encapsulate Nuju's body. With a snapping sound, Kopeke's arm retracted, pulling Nuju with it and under the gate before it banged shut. Kopeke released Nuju, leaving everyone assembled dumbfounded, including Kopeke himself. "What did I do?" he asked.

"I think we were about to ask the same thing." Said Onewa, still in shock.

"I think you've discovered your mask power," said Vakama. "It's a rare mask I've only heard of, never seen. Kopeke, you possess the Kanohi Gomu, the Great Mask of Elasticity."

Kopeke flexed his hand, experimentally testing it. "So why did I get such a rare and powerful mask."

"I don't know," responded Vakama. "But it is quite possible you have a great destiny."

Nuju, a bit unsteady, stood up, breathing deeply and shaking a bit. "Don't do that again, Kopeke. Please."

Whenua used his mask to light up the dark tunnel for everyone else. "Thank you Whenua," said Vakama. He took a step forward. "My friends, onward." And with that, the Toa Metru, Kopeke, Takanuva, and Gresh descended into the dark tunnel to reach Metru Nui.

A few uneventful hours later, Nokama spoke up. "Vakama, there's light ahead."

"Light?" asked Matau. "How could that exist-be? Isn't Mata Nui ground-sunk?"

"You're right," replied Vakama. "There should be no light down here." He pulled out his disk launcher. "Be prepared." The other five Toa Metru, Takanuva, and Gresh readied their weapons. Kopeke, who didn't have one, raised his fists.

The tunnel began to widen as they approached the city. So much light was streaming in that they all had to cover their eyes to prevent themselves from being blinded. But when their eyes adjusted, they beheld a strange and wondrous sight.

Before them was the city of Metru Nui, basked in light that shouldn't be there. But what was surprising was that the city was in perfect condition. Pridak and his army had sacked the city, and Teridax and his rahkshi hadn't been kind to it either. But here it was, as perfect as the day it was first built. And that wasn't all.

"Is there something moving down there?" asked Gresh.

"Yes," answered Takanuva. "It appears some group is using Metru Nui for their purposes."

"Nuju." He understood. He activated his eyepiece, zooming in on the city to see exactly who or what was down there. A few moments of silence passed, before Nuju spoke.

"It's Matoran down there."

"What?!" cried everyone.

"I know what I saw. There are Matoran down there. Also, Toa and Rahi."

"How many?" asked Vakama.

"About 100,000 Matoran and Toa total."

"How did this many Matoran and Toa manage to evade everyone and set up a civilization here without anyone noticing?" asked Nokama.

"I don't know sister." Vakama holstered his disk launcher. "But we're going to find out." He turned to Gresh. "Gresh, you should stay here. A Glatorian would look out of place. There would be too many questions. If it's just us, we may be able to go unnoticed."

While Gresh wasn't happy about being left behind, he understood, and so he consented. He waved goodbye as the Toa Metru and Takanuva descended to the city.

They soon reached the outer limits of Ta-Metru. "Stay on your guard." And with that warning, they calmly and quietly slipped into the city.

Immediately they were bombarded with sights, smells, and sounds. Ta-Matoran were moving everywhere, each indistinguishable from the crowd. It was truly gigantic, something Vakama had never thought to see again. They waded through the crowd, which acted as a great force, seemingly actively trying to force the Toa back. With a motion from Vakama, they worked their way into a side alley.

"How are we supposed to get through this mob?" asked Onewa.

Matau looked up. "We don't." He began scaling the wall. "We jump-fly over it." The rest of the Toa quickly followed suit, until they were all on the roof of the building.

"Where do we go from here?" Whenua asked. "I mean, where do you start to find out where all these Matoran and Toa came from?"

"I have a theory." Vakama looked north. "Follow me." With no more words, he took off north, jumping from roof to roof. The others were left with no choice but to follow.

"Where is he taking us?" queried Nokama.

"I have no idea. I just hope it leads us somewhere," panted Takanuva.

Vakama eventually stopped, landing on the ground outside a large building belching smoke. Nuju recognized the building. "He can't seriously be considering..." Vakama marched in.

It was a forge, and seated at said forge was a Ta-Matoran currently engaged in making a mask. "Excuse me, excuse me!" cried Vakama.

The Ta-Matoran turned around to face them. "Ah! Customers! Welcome, welcome! Now what can I do for you?"

Vakama marched up to the Ta-Matoran, their faces inches apart. "Tell me, what is your name?"

Trembling a bit, the Ta-Matoran responded. "I'm Vakama, apprentice to Nuhrii."


	8. Chapter 7

The Toa think they are safe. The Matoran think they are safe. The Agori think they are safe. The Glatorian think they are safe.

They are not.

They think they have found paradise on this planet. They think that here they can lead peaceful lives.

They are wrong.

I have seen much. Toa, Matoran, Agori, and Glatorian all working together, protecting one another.

They all must die.

The Toa must die. Anyone who allies with a Toa or protects a Toa must die. The Matoran must die. The Agori must die. The Glatorian must die.

They think they are strong; they think they can protect themselves. They believe that they can overcome and defeat any obstacle in their path.

But they cannot defeat me. I am invincible. I am unstoppable. All will fall before me. All will feel my judgment.

For now they are unaware of my existence, save these pesky Toa and that one Glatorian. They will be next. The ones who call themselves Barraki have died at my hand, as will these Toa and Glatorian. They cannot be allowed to reveal my existence to anyone, as little as they know.

I could have killed them in the tunnel. But that would have been suspicious had anyone come looking. The city, on the other hand, is the perfect place to silence them. All it would take is one little push, and it would all appear an accident. One by one, they will fall. And they will not even see it coming.

These Toa think they fully comprehend the danger they are facing.

They are wrong.

They will die, just as all. Will. Die.


	9. Chapter 8

"What?" whispered Gelu as loud as he dared, "There's a Great Being here?"

Orde quickly shook himself out of his shock from what he had seen and clamped one of his hands over Gelu's mouth. "Yes," he hissed, "But now is hardly the time for an explanation. We have to get back to Chiara and Zaria and get out of here. Our mission has changed. We were sent to find the Great Beings. We found one. Now we have to warn the Toa and Glatorian. We must escape Kabrua and these Vorox at any cost and report back to Tahu, Ackar, and the others."

"But we can't just leave these Vorox here!" Gelu responded, removing Orde's hand from his mouth. "Once they realize we've escaped, they'll come looking! Who knows what damage they could do? We have to kill them!"

"First rule of getting to know Toa: Toa never kill. I'm sorry Gelu but I can't suggest such a course of action at this time." Orde gave Gelu a stern look.

"But what about that power dampener?" Gelu asked. "We can't just leave it here! Who knows what they could do with it?"

Orde tightly gripped his arm. "Gelu, that is a chance we must take. True, the weapon is a great threat, but we can change that by letting the Toa and Glatorian know about it. It doesn't affect Glatorian, and a Toa's elemental power isn't everything. What's better, a threat you aren't aware of, or one you are?"

Gelu began to calm down. "You're right of course. The important thing is to let everyone else know about the power dampener and the loose Great Being." He peered out through the branches. "Can you sense Kabrua or any others?"

Orde closed his eyes and concentrated. "Just barely. They're moving away. Now may be our only chance; we should return and rescue Chiara and Zaria."

Quickly and stealthily, they dropped from the tree they were in, and stole off through the foliage as fast as they were able to find the pair of Toa. "I can sense them," said Orde, "They're over there." He pointed. "Follow me." Seconds later, Orde stopped, leaning against a tree for support.

"What's wrong Orde?" asked Gelu.

"It's the power dampener. It's nearby. I've just lost my power. It- it's just such a shock to have something you've had for your entire, hundred thousand year existence suddenly ripped away from you."

Gelu put a hand on Orde's shoulder. "I sympathize Orde, I really do, but we have to keep moving. Every moment we waste is another moment the Vorox can use to track us, and another moment that Zaria and Chiara are in danger." With a nod of assent from Orde, they began to move again.

Nearby, Zaria and Chiara were lying spread-eagled on the ground, attempting to hide themselves in the foliage. Carefully peeking out, they could see the claws of the Vorox as they prowled around their hiding places searching for them. They would have attacked them by now, but Chiara's lightning powers weren't working, and presumably neither were Zaria's.

"Come out, come out, little Toa!" taunted one of the Vorox. "We won't hurt you!" Chiara imagined that there was a wicked smile on his face.

"Oh no," cried the second. "You'll be dead before you can feel any pain." Zaria could see that they were both running their tongues down their dagger blades, almost as if they could taste the blood already. They laughed maniacally, before resuming their search.

Zaria and Chiara heard a loud crack in the distance. The Vorox turned, demonic smiles on their faces. "Oh, there you are!" they gleefully cried, taking off towards the noise. Chiara and Zaria heard a dull whack, which sounded like two heads being crushed together. Then footsteps headed back towards their position.

They heard a cry. "Chiara, Zaria, are you here?" Both sighed in relief. It was Orde. They stood up. "There you are," sighed Orde, "We have to get out of here. Hurry."

"What's going on, Orde?" asked Zaria, "My powers aren't working."

"Neither are mine," said Chiara.

"It appears that the Vorox have a dampener of sorts, that turns off a Toa's elemental powers," said Gelu.

Chiara seemed skeptical. "How is that even possible?"

"A Great Being," responded Gelu. "They shouldn't have those weapons, and no one here even knew about Toa until just a few weeks ago. The only possibility is that they've had contact with a Great Being."

"A Great Being that also has terrible plans for this world," bluntly stated Orde, causing Zaria and Chiara to go into shock.

"What kind of plans exactly? What does he have planned?" Zaria queried.

Orde rubbed his temples. "Now is not the time. We have to get out of here before Kabrua finds us."

"Oh, I'm afraid it's too late for that."

The group turned around, and saw to their horror Kabrua and the two Vorox who broke off with him. "I must say, I am impressed that you managed to defeat two of my elite hunters, and I applaud you for getting this far, but this is the end." He pulled out his weapon. "We will feast tonight!" The weapon fired a large explosive sphere at the group, the crash producing a large cloud of smoke. "Too easy." But when the smoke cleared, the group was still standing, with not even a scratch on them. "What? How could you withstand that blast?" Kabrua smirked. "Fine, you managed to survive one attack, but can you survive _this?_" He fired off blast after blast, barraging the group with explosion after explosion. Soon he had emptied his weapon. "No way they could have survived that," Kabrua smugly commented.

But when the smoke cleared, the group was still standing. "_WHAT!_" he cried, "How are you still standing!"

Chiara smirked. "I guess your aim is just that bad. It's a pity really, I was hoping for a greater challenge. You talked such a big game after all." She sighed. "Pity."

Kabrua discarded his weapon. "Let's see if I miss with this!" He pulled a large sword from its scabbard at his hip, brandishing it in front of him. He rushed the group. "You're all going to die!" His bloodshot eyes focused on Chiara. "Starting with you. No one talks to me like that and gets AWAY WITH IT!" With a cry, he lunged for Chiara, who nimbly dodged out of the way. "Hold still!" he yelled in pure anger as he slashed at Chiara again and again, each time failing to hit her.

_Wait_, he thought to himself, _Why is she only dodging my attacks now? They didn't even attempt to get out of the way when I fired at them._ A realization hit him. Pulling out a small dagger, he flung it straight at Gelu's head. He didn't have enough time to react. But instead of killing him, the dagger merely passed straight through him, embedding itself in the tree behind him.

"So, you figured it out huh?" asked Orde.

"It wasn't hard." Kabrua grinned maliciously. "You didn't even attempt to dodge my ranged attacks. But you took every effort to avoid my up-close attacks. Because I'd have recognized it if my blade had gone straight through you. Like this." He thrust his blade forward. It went straight through Chiara, without hurting her. Kabrua waved it around. "You're all just images conjured somehow. How'd you do it?"

"Oh, it was simple," smirked Gelu. "Your first shot was easy to see coming. I jumped in front of it and deflected it down towards the ground."

"Then I used my Mask of Projection to create images of us here," Orde explained. "Gelu and I had agreed on this beforehand. We knew you'd find us sooner or later, and once you did, we'd use my mask power to get away and buy us some time."

"And Chiara and I carried Orde," spoke Zaria, "So every second you spend here arguing with us, we're getting farther away from you and the less likely you are to catch us."

"It seems your power dampener can switch off our elemental powers, but not our mask powers." Chiara looked very smug. "I guess the Great Being who gave it to you overlooked that bit." At those words, Kabrua's face went white with horror. "That's right," she remarked, "We know all about your little friend."

Zaria smiled. "And we know exactly what he has planned, for us and you. As soon as we get out of here, we're heading back to tell the Toa and Glatorian all about him… and you. I'm sorry to say that you won't find us unprepared."

"You intended to march against us while we were confused and unorganized, still reeling from our recent battles and the fighting between both of our groups, using these 'gifts' from your new friend to conquer us. But once they hear about this, they'll unite and form an army to come here and put an end to your plans." With these last words, Gelu disappeared.

"It would seem you can't keep this projection up." Kabrua approached Orde. "It seems to me you're fading away." The projections of Chiara, Zaria, and Orde began to flicker. "And you forget one thing. You may be able to unite your peoples, but first you have to escape me, and I have no intention of letting you escape." As he said this, Chiara and Zaria flickered and disappeared, leaving only Orde.

"Why do you continue to stand here and talk to us?" he asked. "You know that every second you spend here is another second we elude you."

Kabrua peeled back his lips in a malicious smile, revealing his pointed teeth. "You think you've escaped? You forget us Vorox have very sharp noses. I picked up on your scent the second I realized you were all gone." His smile grew wider. "I know exactly where you went." Orde began to flicker. "Oh my, it seems like you're getting out of range." His long pointed tongue began moving across his teeth. "I love a good hunt." Orde flickered out of existence.

Miles away, Orde opened his eyes. "He's coming." Chiara and Zaria, who were carrying him, stopped and looked at him in shock. "He picked up on our scent as soon as he realized we were gone." He extricated himself from the two Toa and stood up. "He'll be heading this way any minute now. Gelu, is there anywhere near here we can go for help?"

Gelu stopped and turned back. "I can't be sure, but I think I saw a village a few miles off that way." He pointed to the left. "There's not guarantee it will be occupied, but it's better than nothing. Plus, it would be a good place to set up an ambush."

Chiara flexed her fingers, lightning arcing between them. "I haven't had a good fight in a while. It'll be some nice practice." Zaria simply smiled.

They began heading towards the village. "I think they'll bring that power dampener with them," said Orde.

"My thoughts exactly," said Zaria. "It would definitely give them an advantage, being able to suppress our elemental powers."

Chiara smiled. "But that doesn't mean we'll let them win. I don't intend to lose."

"Nor do I," remarked Orde. "Besides we still have our mask powers."

"And I have one hundred thousand years of experience." Gelu smiled. "But the smart thing to do would to let one of us go and warn the villages while the rest of us hold off Kabrua and his Vorox." They reached the entrance to the village, which was absolutely deserted. "Who's going to volunteer?"

"I'll go." Orde stepped forward. "I'm the one who saw it in Kabrua's mind; I should be the one to inform everyone."

Gelu nodded. "Very well. Head through this village, then head straight west to reach the village. Run as fast as you can Orde; we're counting on you." With a simple nod his only affirmation, Orde took off. They soon lost sight of him, and soon after that the dust cloud kicked up by his feet disappeared as well.

"Chiara, Zaria, hide in those buildings." Gelu pointed to two buildings on opposite sides of the main street. "Jump out when I give the signal."

"What's the signal?" asked Zaria.

"Trust me, you'll know it when you see it." Gelu stepped forward a few steps before sitting cross-legged in the dirt.

"What about you?" asked Chiara.

"I'm the bait." Gelu looked at her. "Kabrua will be more likely to show himself and attack if he thinks there's only one of us here. He'll think I stayed behind to stop him from following you two and Orde. If he saw all three of us, chances are he'd just try and sneak by the village to try and catch Orde."

"You're banking on his overconfidence getting the better of him." Chiara smiled. "I love it."

"Look." Zaria pointed, and Chiara and Gelu could clearly see a large dust cloud in the distance.

"Take your places," Gelu plainly stated. "And be ready."

The dust cloud came closer and closer. Soon, Gelu could see the source. It was Kabrua, only Kabrua, running on all fours towards the village at high speed. At the entrance, he stopped, rising up on two legs, and drawing his sword. "You," he hissed.

"Me." Gelu stood up, brandishing his fists. "What happened to your little friends?"

Kabrua smiled maliciously. "That is none of your concern. Where are yours?"

"Long gone." Gelu began breathing deeply. He hadn't fought with just his fists for tens of thousands of years. He knew that Kabrua, more accustomed to fighting without weapons, and currently wielding one, would have the upper hand. He had to find a way to get that sword from him.

"Oh, and you stayed behind to buy them time by sacrificing yourself?" Kabrua laughed. It was a deep guttural laugh, one that grated at Gelu's very soul. "A noble effort, but utterly pointless in the end. Do you really think you can stop me?"

"I don't have to stop you." Gelu got in his fighting stance. "I just have to buy them enough time to get away."

"Then perhaps I should cease talking and we should just fight." Kabrua took a fighting stance. Gelu readied himself, but he still found himself caught by surprise when the Vorox charged at him at full speed. Thinking quickly, Gelu jumped, splaying himself horizontally. He barely cleared Kabrua.

"Too close," he muttered to himself. He landed on his shoulder and rolled, spinning around to face Kabrua again, only to find the Vorox rushing at him again. Gelu leaned back, bending his spine to the limit as the Vorox's sword whistled inches over his head. Before Kabrua could recover, Gelu leaned farther backward, planted his hands on the ground, and pushed his feet off, bringing his foot down in an arc to deal a crushing blow to Kabrua's head.

"Impressive," Kabrua panted, "You've lasted longer than I thought."

"Underestimating me was a mistake. The last one you'll ever make," said Gelu, also panting. "I'll personally see to that."

"I dare you to try!" yelled Kabrua as he lunged once more with the sword. Gelu dodged to the right, but he found to his horror Kabrua's tail lashing out at him, cutting a deep wound in his side. Kabrua cackled with glee.

Gelu held his hand to the wound. The blade had riven his armor, reaching nearly to his bone. He took his hand off to inspect it. His hand and side were stained a crimson red.

"Oh, did I hurt the little Glatorian?" Kabrua taunted. "Maybe I should put you out of your misery!" For the last time, Kabrua charged.

Instead of dodging the blade, Gelu met it head on, lodging it in his shoulder armor. "What?" gasped Kabrua, stunned. Gelu smirked before twisting away and ripping the sword from Kabrua's hand. It spun through the air before landing point down in the dirt a few yards away. Before the Vorox could fully comprehend what had just happened, Gelu began raining successive punches on Kabrua. He landed a brutal uppercut to Kabrua's jaw, before throwing hooks against his torso and face, before landing a palm strike on Kabrua's sternum, sending him flying backwards and into the dirt. Still panting, Gelu wandered back to Kabrua's sword and pulled it out of the ground. Returning to the Vorox, who was still on the ground, he pointed the sword at his neck. "Any last words?"

Kabrua smiled. "I think that's what I should be asking you." Gelu felt two swords pressed to his throat. It was the other two Vorox who were with Kabrua. One reached out and knocked the sword from Gelu's hand, letting it fall into the dust. Kabrua got up, picking up his sword in the process. He put the tip against Gelu's chin. "Now, any last words?"

Chiara and Zaria both thought the same thing. 'That's the signal.' They stepped out from the buildings, in plain view of Kabrua. He looked at them and smiled.

"Ah, I was wondering where you two were. Now I don't have to send out my minions to hunt you down." Kabrua looked downright homicidal. "Once I'm finished filleting your Glatorian friend I'm going to enjoy ripping you limb from limb. I've never had Toa before. I wonder how it tastes." He grinned sadistically.

"You're forgetting one thing," stated Chiara. "Orde's still out there, and we have no intention of letting you catch him."

"Yeah, you're not getting away with this," threatened Zaria.

"Orde, Orde, who was that again?" Kabrua put a hand on his chin in thought. "Oh! That's right!" One of the other Vorox pulled Orde, bound, gagged, and knocked out, from behind a building. "Oh, how could I forget?" There was a wicked glint in his eye. "He's the one you sent ahead, hoping to buy time for him! I guess you underestimated me!" He tilted his head to one side, his face beginning to take on a crazed appearance.

"It's been fun. I must say you're the hardest prey I've had in quite a while." He backed up, keeping his sword on Gelu's chin. "But sadly, all good things must come to an end!" He raised his sword, slashing Gelu from shoulder to hip. A shower of blood spurted from the wound, bathing Kabrua in it.

Kabrua, who looked downright demonic, focused his eyes on Chiara and Zaria. "It's time for you to die!" He charged, generating a blast of wind in his wake due to his speed.

Zaria reached down and placed his palms on the ground. "I don't think so!" He reached for his elemental power, willing the iron in the ground to raise up. But… nothing.

The next thing he knew, Kabrua was looming over him. "You don't think what?" He stabbed downward, with Zaria just managing to roll out of the way in time. "Come back here!" Kabrua pulled his sword out of the ground, swinging again, trying to hit Zaria, but to no avail.

"You should really watch your opponents!" Chiara yelled as she aimed a swift kick at Kabrua's head. He simply raised his sword to block it, catching her foot on the flat of the blade. He then delivered a swift right hook to her chest with his free hand, knocking the wind out of her and driving her to the ground.

Kabrua had his sword poised on her neck. "You Toa are quite pathetic creatures. I've heard so much about your abilities and all of the great deeds you've achieved. And yet, here you are, at my mercy, and about to die." He sighed. "It's truly a pity. Maybe in the future some other Toa will make for much better sport." He raised his sword, before bringing it down for the finishing blow.

Halfway, the blade met resistance. Kabrua could only watch, stunned, as Zaria held back the blade with his bare hands. He smiled. "You've got determination, I'll give you that. But it's all for naught."

For a few moments they stood there, locked in a battle of sheer strength, the blade slowly inching closer to Zaria and cutting deeper into his hands. He thought back on this journey so far. He thought of Gelu, who was probably already dead by now. He thought of Orde, bound and at Kabrua's mercy. And he thought of Chiara, whose life he was fighting to save. He had failed them all.

No. Not yet. With that attitude, he'd already lost. But he wouldn't let that happen! He would not let Kabrua hurt his friends anymore! "Aaahh!" he yelled as he used all of his strength to push the blade back, knocking Kabrua off balance in the process. "I won't let you hurt my friends!" he yelled as he rained punches on Kabrua's torso, leaving him no time to counter-attack.

With one final uppercut to the jaw, it was finished. Kabrua stood there, limp and unmoving. Zaria went up and grabbed Kabrua by the collar of his armor. "You lose."

Kabrua's eyes flashed. "Oh, do I now?" And with those words, he drove his sword deep into Zaria's chest, the tip coming out of his back. Now devoid of strength, Zaria let go of Kabrua, and was left standing solely because of the sword lodged in him. Kabrua brought his face right up in front of Zaria's. "I win," he hissed. He withdrew his blade, and Zaria collapsed to the ground. "Okay," he said to his fellow Vorox, "Tie them up and load them on a litter. We're taking them back to the city." But then, he noticed a large dust cloud in the distance, accompanied by the sound of a large crowd. "Strike that. We don't have time. They're nearly upon us." Gathering up their gear, Kabrua and the others ran off into the jungle.

Soon the village was overrun with Agori. Their eyes fell upon the three Toa and one Glatorian laying in the midst of their village. _Their village!_ One Agori, apparently the leader, spoke in a strange language to a group of Agori. "Chun nu, du chi ga na!" It was apparently orders, as the Agori scurried off, returning quickly with rope and chains. "Dot chu! Ga!" The Agori gathered the four of them together, tying them up with the rope and chains. "Ni na shu!" yelled the leader. "Pa Agusha!"

"Agusha! Agusha" chanted the Agori. This chanting managed to wake the group.

"Where are we? What happened?" asked Chiara.

"You're alive! Sighed Orde in relief. "Oh thank Mata Nui! I thought you were all dead!"

Zaria coughed. "I don't know how much longer I'll live though. I'm in pretty bad shape."

Gelu spit up blood. "I don't know how long I'll last either."

"Who are these Agori?" asked Chiara, noticing them for the first time. "Did they tie us up?"

The leader noticed they had woken up. He came up close. "Oh, chu nu sha kagami ne?"

"We don't understand you." Gelu sighed. "It's just wasted breath."

The leader turned back to the rest of the Agori. "Ah shei chuga na ni! Fu sha ga ne!"

The Agori descended, swarming over the group and carrying them away to an unknown destination. "Where are they taking us!" asked Orde.

"I don't know." Gelu was gasping for breath. "But these savages can't have anything good in store for us."

They soon had their answer. In front of them was a large, dingy fortress. The Agori carried them inside, the dark interior lit only by candles carried by the Agori. They led them down many dark hallways, lined with cells and extinguished braziers. The inside of the cells were littered with skeletons. "Are we going to die here?" asked Zaria. No one dared answer.

Soon they stopped. There was a grating sound as a key was turned in a lock. The group found themselves bodily thrown into a cell, the jolt from hitting the solid stone floor aggravating their already grievous wounds. The grating sounded again as the door was locked behind them. The Agori left, leaving them in pitch blackness.

"Hello?" a voice sounded from the darkness. "Hello? Who's there? Have you been captured-tied too?"

"Yes," responded Chiara, who was in the best shape. "I'm Chiara, a Toa. Also here with me are Toa Orde and Zaria, and Gelu, a Glatorian. Who are you?"

"Oh, thank Mata Nui! More Toa! I have been alone in this cage-cell for a long time! I've lost count of how many days it's been!" The Toa sounded quite exasperated.

"Calm down!" called Chiara. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I am Air-Toa Lewa!"

Chiara was in disbelief. "Lewa? Of the Toa Nuva? What are you doing here?"

"I was taken-napped by these Agori!"

"What are they going to do with us?"

Lewa was silent for a minute. "I don't understand their speak-talk, but from what I can thought-guess, they're going to sacrifice us!"

"They're what!"

"I mind-think they're going to sacrifice us to their god. Some great evil-devil was just destroyed, and they think-believe we were his allies. In order to make the evil-destruction full-complete, they're going to sacrifice us."

"Uh, okay," Chiara, at a loss for words, was struggling to ask the right questions. "When are they going to sacrifice us? Could you get any indication from the Agori."

"Yes," spoke Lewa. "When they visited today they appear-seemed to be very happy. They kept shouting 'Namek! Namek!' I've been able to understand part of their speak-talk, and I think-believe that 'Namek' means 'Tomorrow'."

"They're going to sacrifice us tomorrow!?" yelled Chiara in horror.

"Yes, early in the dawn-morning as the sun rises. We don't have much time! We must leave-escape tonight, or we will all die-perish!"

"Shh!" said Chiara. "Do you hear that?" There were sounds of feet as another group of Agori came by, dragging some more prisoners behind them. They passed them by, dragging them further down the hall. Chiara only dared speak again once they were gone. "Who was that they had?"

Lewa spoke. "They're other members of the group I came here with. They captured someone a few days and stored-put them in another part of this prison. I had no think-idea who it was. Somehow they managed to capture them."

"Who was in the group?"

"Toa Helryx and Tuyet, Artahka, Matoran Kapura and Hafu, Axonn, Brutaka, Piraka Vezon, and Makuta Miserix. And if those Agori were strong enough to attack-capture them, we may be in more trouble-danger than we know."

At this point, Orde, Zaria, and Gelu began to regain consciousness. "Where are we?" they asked collectively. Quickly, Chiara related to them what had happened so far.

When she was finished, Lewa spoke up. "We must leave-escape tonight. Now, here's the mind-plan…"


	10. Chapter 9

The Toa Hagah sat around the fire, watching the sun go down. Tonight was when they made their move. It had taken three days for them to find the fortress, and then another three to learn the movements of all the guards. Tonight, they would use that knowledge to infiltrate the fortress and fulfill their mission: save the Toa Mahri.

"I still don't like this," stated Pouks. "We still know next to nothing about this thing, and we're going to charge in there and expect it to give us the Toa Mahri back?"

"We're not going to charge in there, Pouks," reprimanded Kualus. "That's your way of doing things. Norik clearly explained that we're going to sneak in and steal the Toa Mahri out."

"But Pouks still has a point. We know next to nothing about this being or its abilities. How can we hope to evade what we know nothing about?"

"You're right Bomonga," said Norik, "which is why Gaaki did some research and kindly offered to share all the knowledge she gained with us." He turned to face her. "Gaaki, if you would."

"Thank you, Norik." She stood up and paced. "Now, as you may or may not know, the idea of fusing beings dates back about 75,000 years, just after the fall of the Six Kingdoms. However, soon afterwards, moral authorities made the subject taboo, and very little research was made into the subject afterwards.

"The essential idea is that energized protodermis allows the various attributes of certain species to fuse and create an entire new being. The problem lies in the fact that energized protodermis will only fuse beings that are destined to fuse. So, supporters of being fusion had a hard time figuring out which beings were destined to fuse. Often, it came down to trial and error. Then, to stop the loss of life, most regions of the universe began to ban it. So, soon after it began, the science of fusing beings came to an end."

"So," questioned Iruini, "if this science hasn't been practiced in over 70,000 years, who would have the knowledge to create something like this? Someone had to know that the beings that make up this golden-skinned being were destined to fuse. Who could possibly know that?"

"That is a logical question, and I thought that as well. So, I did some digging through the historical records in the Onu-Metru Archives. It turns out that, while the practice in general was banned, the Brotherhood of Makuta persisted. When Teridax took control of the Brotherhood, he saw it as above the law, and so he allowed, and even encouraged, the practice of fusing beings. Based on all that we know about this being, my theory is that Teridax personally engineered it. As we're all aware, Teridax had plans within plans, layers upon layers of them. He most likely engineered this being to be as ruthless and cunning as possible. This being was designed to be Teridax's proxy, his successor if you will."

"So, up in that fortress is a being designed by Teridax to be as evil as possible in every conceivable way, and we're going to go in there and try to swipe five Toa out from under its nose?" Pouks was dumbfounded.

"Yes, essentially." Norik turned to face the rest of his team. "We have to get in and out of there as quietly and unobtrusively as possible. Now, here's the plan…

"…Everyone understand?" They all nodded in assent. Now, all that was left was to wait for the dead of night.

The moon was high in the sky when Norik gave the signal to move out. Gaaki quickly extinguished the fire, and the Toa Hagah moved silently towards the cliff upon which the fortress was built. At a sign from Norik, they began to climb.

The cliff was craggy, with plenty of hand and footholds. It was the work of a half hour for the six Toa to scale the cliff. As they assembled, Norik whispered, "Okay, climb the wall." They tried, but unable to find any holds, they slid back down. When Bomonga had the idea to jab his spear into the wall as a step, it merely bounced off, creating a loud ringing in the process. The Toa quickly hid, afraid that the sound would attract Skakdi guards.

"What happened? Last I heard this was a regular stone fortress?" Kualus gave the wall a tap. "Now it's solid protosteel. What happened?"

"It appears that since this fortress was created from the golden-skinned being's thoughts, the being can also change the structure of the fortress. It must have changed the fortress from stone to protosteel in order to protect itself and its subjects better."

"Bomonga, can you use your earth powers to create a tunnel underneath the wall?"

He smiled. "Don't insult me, Norik." He stabbed his spear into the ground, the earth parting and creating a tunnel around it. Bomonga descended into the tunnel as it continued. The rest of the Toa Hagah waited patiently until Bomonga returned a few minutes later.

"Well?"

Bomonga shook his head. "No good. The wall stops a few feet down, but there's a force field extending in all directions underground. I predict that wherever the wall isn't, the being's created a force field. If there's a force field below this fortress, then there's definitely one above this fortress."

"If that's the case," asked Norik, "what do we do now Gaaki?"

"As counterintuitive as it sounds, the front gate is most likely to be the weakest part of the fortress. It's made to allow people in and out. If we can just get past the guards, we should be able to get in. It'll be easier there than anywhere else."

They crept towards the front door, sidling up against the wall to avoid being seen by sentries on top. Exterior patrols nearly found them, but Iruini was able to use his mask power to teleport a short distance away to distract them. Soon, they reached the front gate, which was guarded by two Skakdi. "Bomonga, Pouks, Iruini," whispered Norik. They knew what he meant. As quietly as possible, Bomonga and Pouks crept up to the guards, while Iruini teleported out into the darkness just beyond the Skakdi's range of vision.

Out of the Skakdi's vision, Iruini yelled, "Hello? Can someone help me?" The Skakdi cautiously left their posts to ascertain what the source of the disturbance was. When they did, Bomonga and Pouks snuck up behind them, knocking them out.

"Kualus, go figure out how to unlock the gate. Bomonga, Pouks, tie up the guards and hide them somewhere."

After a few moments, frustration began to show on Kualus' face, and he gave up. "I can't do it. This door is just like the rest of the fortress. There's no seams, no holes, no gaps anywhere. The only thing that signifies that this is the front gate is an indentation in the wall. How is this possible? Gaaki? Do you have any answers?"

"Perhaps the golden-skinned being can change any part of this fortress at will. That would explain it. When someone needs to come in, it can just make the door disappear."

"So how are we supposed to get in?" Pouks was seething. "We can't go over the wall, we can't go under it, and we certainly can't go through it!"

"Maybe we can." Norik went deep into thought. "Gaaki, what's the melting point of protosteel?"

"Approximately 5,538 degrees Celcius."

"Has any Toa of Fire ever been recorded producing flames at that temperature?"

"Yes, but not very many, and those that did accomplish it couldn't sustain it for very long. The exertion made them collapse after a few minutes. A few of them died in the process, and most of them came close. Their bodies simply overheated."

"What are you thinking Norik?" Iruini's voice was fraught with worry.

"Maybe Pouks is wrong. Maybe we can go through the wall."

"You aren't seriously considering-"

"I am. It's the only way that I can see. Come on. We have to find a secluded spot." Soon, they found themselves at a back corner of the fortress. "Bomonga, Pouks, Iruini, you're on lookout duty. Kualus, Gaaki, monitor me and prevent me from dying. With his spear pointed at the wall, Norik channeled every ounce of his elemental energy down to a needle point on the wall. He poured his energy into it, the flame growing brighter and brighter as its intensity increased.

Moment after moment passed with no change in the wall, and Norik's knees had begun to buckle. Despite being cooled by Kualus, his body was still deteriorating.

Gaaki plead with him, "Norik, you can't do it. Stop before you-" A drop of melted protosteel hit the ground. Norik had finally made a dent.

And with that dent the floodgates opened. The protosteel continued to melt, and as time went on, faster and faster. Norik began to widen the point so they could fit through, which drained his energy even faster. Soon, Gaaki and Kualus were supporting him, else he would have collapsed.

Then, Norik broke through. It was a small pinprick; no one could fit through, but he had gotten through. Norik expended energy faster and faster as he widened the hole, his body now actively being covered in ice by Kualus, which melted the second it was created.

"Hurry up, Norik. You're reaching the limit."

Through gritted teeh, and panting loudly, Norik responded, "I'm almost there. Just… a little bit… more."

"Norik, you can't last much longer. You should stop, or you're going to die!"

"Almost… there…" It was done. Norik collapsed, unconscious. Gaaki and Kualus immediately coated his body in as much water and ice as they could create, trying to rapidly bring his temperature down to normal.

"Come on Norik, live!" His eyes fluttered open. "Oh, good. I thought for a second you were dead."

"Not a chance." A smile plastered itself on Norik's face. "I can't die yet."

He tried to stand up, but fell down just as quickly. "Take it easy Norik, you shouldn't be moving around yet. You used a lot of energy. It'll take time before you're at your full strength again."

"But we can't just sit here! We have to go get the Toa Mahri!"

"You're right, but we can't, and we won't, leave you here." She hefted Norik, putting one arm around his waist and wrapped one of his around her neck. "Come on." They all stepped through the hole Norik had made, into the belly of the beast.

"There should be a central building in here. That's most likely where the being and the Toa Mahri will be." It wasn't hard to find.

"That's weird," muttered Iruini, "The door is open." He pulled out his spear and shield. "This looks like a trap."

"It clearly is," responded Norik, "That golden-skinned being wants us to go in there."

"And you're just going to let us play into his trap?" Pouks hissed.

"We don't have a choice in the matter. We came here to get the Toa Mahri. If we leave without them, this mission will be a complete and total failure. We have to go in. We. Cannot. Fail."

With their path determined, the remainder of the team drew their spears and shields. They slowly advanced into the darkness.

"Where are they?" Pouks asked.

"Quite an excellent question," replied a deep, sonorous voice from the darkness.

The door behind them slammed closed. The Toa Hagah were left in pure darkness.

"Show yourself!" yelled Norik. "Or are you a coward?"

"Be wary of what you say in my presence, lest you try my patience too far. Very well; if you want me to show myself, I shall comply." The room became lit, the light having no visible source, despite the six of them looking frantically for one. Was this another show of the being's power?

"Well? Am I not perfect? Am I not magnificent?" They all turned to face the far end of the room, and there appeared a being that had not been there ten seconds earlier.

The being was twelve feet tall, towering over the Toa and keeping them in its shadow, with its golden skin shining in the light. Its massive muscles rippled and flexed beneath its skin, the light playing differently across its entire physique. Its face was horrific; it had a wide, lipless mouth perpetually curved into a smile, revealing row upon row of teeth filed to points. Its forked tongue flicked amongst the teeth like a snake. It had no nose, merely two slits in its face where its nose should be. But its eyes were the worst. They were acid green with tall, thin pupils. They darted everywhere, and had the property of appearing to stare into your very soul.

"Wh-what are you? Where are the T-T-Toa Mahri?" Norik stuttered.

"I? I am perfection incarnate. I am the perfect being. I was created to be a ruler, the perfect ruler; and that is what I shall be. And as for the Toa Mahri, they're right here." He gestured to his sides, and five figures stepped out of the darkness. The Toa Mahri.

"Jaller! Jaller?" No response. "Don't worry! We're here to free you!" Still no response. "Hahli? Nuparu? Hewkii? Kongu?" No response. "What did you do to them?"

"Don't you mean, 'What did you do _for_ them?'?" The being's lipless smile curved back even further, exposing its black gums. "And what I have done _for_ them is make them a part of my domain. You see, as a perfect being, I, and I alone have the right to decide what is best for all of you imperfect beings. I am perfect, therefore infallible, therefore the only being that can be a perfect ruler."

"So," questioned Gaaki, "you're claiming the right to determine what is best for every imperfect being?"

"I claim only what is mine by virtue of being perfect."

"Are there any other perfect beings?"

"No. I am the sole perfect being in the universe."

"So, since you're the only perfect being, you alone are capable of determining what is and what isn't perfect?"

"Precisely. But it was not I who decided that I was perfect. I am objectively perfect by virtue of my creation."

"But is it right to exert such control over others? What gives you the right? Being perfect does not give you the right to control others, so what does?"

"My perfection extends to my perfect logic. With my perfect logic, I possess the ability to logically determine what is best for each and every imperfect being in the universe. With my perfect logic, I can make every being perfectly happy. Therefore I exert the force of my will on these beings you call the Toa Mahri in order to bring them in line with my perfect rule."

"Can you not see your logic is flawed? What all beings treasure over all else is their free will. By controlling the Toa Mahri as you are right now, you're depriving them of that free will. Without their free will, you're making them unhappy. You exerting your control in an attempt to make them happy is, in fact, responsible for making them unhappy."

"Non sequitur. I am a perfect being. My logic is perfect. You imperfect beings are inherently flawed, and thus your logic is inherently flawed. As you are imperfect, your free will is imperfect as well. Under my control, you can be guided. You cannot possibly know what is best for you."

"Even if you do know what is best for us, is it morally right for you to control us?"

"Of course it is. I am perfect. You are not. As I have said, I know perfectly what is best for you. And what is best must be right."

"But you're not considering-"

"SILENCE!" The ground shook and rumbled with the being's deep, rumbling voice. "I… have had… enough… of THIS!" Large slabs of protosteel erupted from the ground, encasing the Toa Hagah up to their heads in metal tombs. "I tire of this. It is time you joined me as well."

The Toa Hagah all felt a sharp pain in their heads. Hot needles were worming their way into their minds. The pain was intense, and the Toa Hagah would have been on their knees in agony had they been able to move.

The needles spread throughout their bodies, down to their fingers and feet. The pain continued to burn through every fiber of their being, until they were all screaming in agony.

"Make it stop!"

"It hurts! The pain!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Then suddenly, it stopped, the protosteel tombs receding into the ground as it did.

"Oh, thank Mata Nui." Iruini tried to stand. "Why can't I move?"

"I can't move either!"

"What's happening?"

Norik moved his head, the only part of his body he could move, to look at the golden-skinned being. "What did you do to us?"

"I have made you part of my glorious domain. You should thank me." The being smiled maliciously, its tongue licking its teeth in anticipation.

"You can't do this to us!" Gaaki yelled.

"Oh, it's too late for that. I have you now; why would I ever let you go?"

"But why did you leave us our minds? Why haven't you turned us into complete puppets like you did with the Toa Mahri?"

"If I did that, none of you would see. I want all of you to understand and fully see that I am superior. I am perfect! You are not! And you shall all see that! I shall control your bodies until you acknowledge my superiority! Then, once you do, I shall control your minds as well! Now, come up here and join your friends."

The Toa Hagah found their bodies moving against their will; no matter how hard they struggled, they could not prevent their bodies from taking them to stand with the Toa Mahri. The golden-skinned being laughed maliciously. "You'll come to understand that I'm perfect… You will acknowledge my superiority… You'll see… You'll all see…" His voice echoed through the hall as he continued to laugh.

"Now… shall we begin?"

The six Toa Hagah loudly protested, but the golden-skinned being put a stop to that. The Toa Hagah's jaws clenched shut, their lips sealing themselves together.

"Ah… that's better. Now, let's begin." Against their will, and with no voices to protest with, the Toa Hagah, followed closely by the Toa Mahri, followed the golden-skinned being, hoping against hope that they could withstand whatever horrific activities that sick, twisted mind had and could dream up.


	11. Chapter 10

The jungle of Bota Magna was a picture of peace. The birds were singing in the trees. The foliage swayed in the wind. The creeks trickled happily. It was a soothing atmosphere, the most soothing Bota Magna had seen in 100,000 years.

That atmosphere was shattered when Angonce came. Despite not being visible, his presence was very much felt. There were audible swishes as his blade cut through the foliage, and loud cracking and breaking as footprints imprinted themselves on the ground. But the most obvious giveaway was the constant grumbling.

"Oh, if he's been getting into any trouble… Why did I just say 'if'? Knowing him he probably already has. Oh the things I do for him…" Angonce paused to wipe his brow. From his lab, it hadn't taken him long to get this far. But traipsing through the jungle for 10 hours is even difficult for a Great Being.

Angonce's sensitive ears picked up loud voices. Shouldering his staff, he climbed up the nearest tree. After he reached the top, exhausted, he pulled out his binoculars and began looking for the source of the voices. "Savages," he snarled. He could see, a few miles away, a large group of Agori. They must have broken off from Spherus Magna with Bota Magna 100,000 years ago, and somehow regressed. But where were they going? He scanned the nearby geography. Bingo. Nearby was a village. Either it was theirs or it wasn't. He sincerely hoped that it was the former.

But then Angonce saw something that gave him pause. Adjusting the focus, he could see seven beings already in the village. There were three Toa, three Vorox, and a Glatorian. And the strange thing was that Angonce recognized one of them. "Orde," he said to himself. It was the first Toa of Psionics, one Toa he personally created. The other two appeared to be Toa of Lightning and Iron, and then the Glatorian was obviously from the Ice Tribe. But what were the four of them doing out here, and why were they fighting those Vorox?

Angonce could also see something else. The Toa and Glatorian were losing. Badly. His heart ached to help them, he couldn't bring himself to do so. His current mission was of the utmost importance. He could upset the delicate balance of power on Spherus Magna if someone else got to him before Angonce did.

But what was this? The Vorox were abandoning their prey, leaving them tied together and unconscious in the middle of the village. Those scoundrels meant to leave them to the savage Agori then. He tucked away his binoculars and descended the tree. The savages wouldn't kill them now. He knew that much. They always waited until the next day. He had no idea why, but that was how it always was. Once he had accomplished his mission, he would save them. He would act tonight.

He continued through the jungle, hacking away at the foliage and clearing a path, until he heard footsteps and voices coming his way. Quickly, Angonce activated his cloaking device and slid into the shadows.

Along came three Vorox. They stopped, looking around as if they were confused as to where to go next. Angonce was prepared to let them go, until he realized that the markings on their bodies corresponded precisely with those of the Vorox he had seen fighting with the Glatorian and Toa earlier. At that realization, Angonce was filled with a rage he had not known for millennia. He deactivated his cloaking device and stepped out of the shadows, directly behind what appeared to be the leader of the small group.

"But Kabrua, we… we…" The two Vorox facing Angonce paled and began to shake.

"What's the matter with you two?" the one known as Kabrua yelled. "I asked you louts a question! Now answer me!" Angonce smiled wickedly and began to crack his knuckles. Kabrua, still oblivious, continued to attempt to wring something out of his subordinates. "Well?" The two Vorox still refused to answer, instead quailing and cowering in fear, backing away slowly. "What's wrong with you two! Is there something behind me?" With a smug smirk, Kabrua turned around, only having time for his jaw to drop and his eyes to widen before Angonce's fist wrapped itself around his throat and he was lifted from the ground, his legs flailing uselessly as his arms clasped at Angonce's arm and his lungs gasped for breath.

"So, you're that Vorox that was fighting that Glatorian and those Toa? It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Angonce. You may already know who I am." He smiled maliciously.

Kabrua's eyes widened. "You…" he choked out, "You… You're a Great Being."

"That would be correct. And if I see you perpetrate such an act of violence again, don't think that I won't find out. Aside from your name, I know nothing about you. I don't know what you were doing; I don't know what your ultimate goal is. If you do no more violence, that will be the end of it; I will do nothing further against you. But if you commit any more atrocities, believe me, I will know. And if that happens, I will find you, and _I will kill you_." Angonce released his stranglehold on Kabrua. "Now get out of my sight." With extreme haste, Kabrua and the other two Vorox scampered off into the deep jungle. "Cowards," he spat as they disappeared.

But as he continued on his way, he thought. "Kabrua should have been more surprised by meeting a Great Being. He couldn't have… could he? Was that even possible? He should know better.

He was approaching Zyllix's fortress. Oh, how he greaved for his brother. Zyllix was the brightest of them all; he was the one who created some of their greatest inventions; Mata Nui had his genesis in Zyllix's mind. But then there came that fateful day when Zylllix touched the Mask of Life. The Mask, and the curse it bestowed on him, erased Zyllix's sanity. And all Angonce could do was watch as his brother deteriorated into a shell of his former self. It was the most painful thing he had ever seen.

He emerged from the trees into the clearing where Zyllix's prison had been built to find a burned and scarred landscape, like a bomb had just been set off there. He gingerly walked through the ruins, aghast at the charred rubble left behind. "Who could do something like this?" he asked himself. He spoke not only from a moral standpoint, in which case outright murder and destruction on this scale was unforgivable, but also from a physical one; who could have engineered the amount of explosive needed to create an explosion like this?

As he moved further into the wreckage, Angonce found what he was looking for, but had hoped he wouldn't find: Zyllix's charred body. It was only recognizable due to the large body structure: it was too big to be a Glatorian or Toa.

With tears flowing freely from his eyes, Angonce knelt down. "I swear," he choked out, "I swear, Zyllix, that whoever did this to you will be brought to justice. I promise…" He trailed off as fresh tears fell as he mourned his fallen brother.

Angonce's moment of mourning was sadly, however, interrupted. Angonce could hear behind him brick chunks crunching beneath someone's foot. How dare they desecrate this ground? How dare they? He drew his staff and sharply turned, thrusting his staff out and pinning the intruder to the ground. To his shock, it was a Po-Matoran. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The Po-Matoran laughed. "Come now, brother. Don't you recognize me?"

Angonce's brow furrowed and his eyes turned upwards as he thought for a few seconds. He hazarded a guess. "Velika?"

"I'm honored that you were correct on the first guess."

Angonce let Velika up. "My apologies. I remembered that you had transferred your consciousness into a Matoran body, but I forgot what you looked like. You look… different."

Velika brushed himself off. "Yes, it was Karzahni's fault. There must have been something wrong in his programming. His mind went a bit sour. Anyway, your study of the Agori and Glatorian has been successful, I trust?"

"Not as successful as I had hoped, but still successful. How has your study of the Matoran Universe gone?"

"Exceptionally well."

"I am eager to hear your findings once we return to my lab. On another note, do you have any idea what happened to Zyllix's prison?"

Velika hung his head. "Alas, I know not. But it saddens me to see our brother go in this way, even if he was mentally deranged. I mourn his loss, and wish nothing more than to bring his murderer to justice."

"As do I. But, this is not the place to talk of such somber topics. Let us adjourn to my lab." Angonce shouldered his staff as he walked away from the smoking husk of his brother's prison, his brother's small body pattering behind him.

On the trek back to his lab, Angonce's mind was plagued with doubt. He knew Velika's mannerisms better than anyone else, and he was certain that he was telling the truth. However, the most likely candidate for the perpetrator of the explosion was a Great Being; it would be easiest for a Great Being to either formulate or find the explosive used to destroy the prison. Was Velika responsible? Angonce sincerely hoped not.

"By the way, Angonce, how did you find me?"

"I have a genetic signal tracker back at the lab. When it detected your genetic signature within its range, it alerted me to your presence."

"Oh?" Velika raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall you having such a device."

"Yes, I created it after you left. Its design evolved over a couple hundred years. Unfortunately, the only equipment I have in my lab is outdated, and it was even before The Shattering."

"Yes, but how did you enable it to track me?"

"I made it a habit of keeping a library of genetic samples. I uploaded yours into the machine in case of emergencies. If any of my brethren returned, I wished to know about it."

Velika was silent, which Angonce took as a sign that he was in thought. Whatever it was, Angonce did not wish to disturb him, and so the rest of the journey back to his abode was spent in silence.

As Angonce opened the door, the sun was beginning to set. The journey back had taken longer than he had expected. He had not expected Velika's Matoran body to require as much assistance to get through the jungle as it did.

"I must say, Angonce, I look forward to sharing my research with you, and to you sharing yours with me. I feel that together, we can advance both of our fields of study in ways neither of us could accomplish alone."

"I must apologize, brother, but I do have something else that requires my attention. I am sorry Velika, but once I return, we shall share our notes and research."

"But Angonce-"

"Velika, this is an important matter which supersedes any academic discussion I wish to have with you. I do apologize, but I must do this. While I'm gone, please make yourself at home. Get yourself settled; it is likely that you will be here for the foreseeable future." With that, to avoid any further interruptions from Velika, Angonce grabbed his cloak and quickly left, slamming the door behind him.

Time was of the essence. It had taken Angonce the majority of the day to get there and back, even though the trip back was shorter due to the fact that he had already cleared a path. If he did not move with all deliberate speed, the Toa and Glatorian would definitely die. He thundered through the jungle, scaring wildlife and scattering it in all directions. All thoughts, save the hostages, were excluded from his mind. "If I can't save them, if I fail in my mission, I do not deserve to be called a Great Being." He was always one to place burdens directly on his shoulders.

Angonce reached the point at which his path now diverged from his previous one. He mentally cursed; here, his path became bogged down by fresh vegetation, and he still had many miles to go until he reached his destination. He cursed his fatigued muscles and his tired feet; he had to go faster.

The sun set, and Angonce still had miles to go, and his progress was impeded even further by the darkness. He was running out of time.

The moon rose high in the sky as the night wore on, Angonce relentlessly battling the elements as he continued through the jungle. At this rate he would be lucky to make it by morning.

The sun began to appear on the horizon. Angonce's muscles were strained from working all night. His vision was blurry and his mind was distracted. He couldn't last much longer.

Then, just as he was about to collapse, the trees stopped, and Angonce stumbled onto open ground, the village in front of him. He collapsed to his knees; he had made it. But was he too late?

Angonce activated his cloaking device and hurried through the village. There were no Agori anywhere. Surely someone would be awake, even at this early hour. Where were the guards? He stopped; there was a large, foreboding building on the far side of the village. It had to be the prison; no other building would need such large walls. With all the speed he could muster, he headed towards it, praying he wasn't too late.

Angonce skidded to a stop just outside the gate. It was wide open. "No… no…" If the gate was open there would be nothing inside that would need to be guarded. He ran inside, desperately searching each hall of cells; each and every one was devoid of life. He did find one cell full of weapons, and he gathered them into a sack, taking a nearby leather strap and attaching the whole ensemble to his back. He headed up to the next floor. The same was true; no life. He continued upwards until he found himself on the roof. He was too late.

In anger, Angonce swung his staff around, implanting the head deep inside the stone structure. He cursed himself. He had failed. He had put those beings' lives in his hands, and he had failed them. He felt a deep woe well up inside him, something he had not known for a long time.

"They're dead… They're dead, and it's my fault. I promised that I would save them, and I failed miserably; I don't deserve the title of Great Being! I-" Angonce stopped. What was that noise?

…Chanting?

Angonce quickly grabbed his binoculars and looked off in the direction he had heard the sound from. There, off in the distance, were the Agori, all gathered together in a giant mob. What were they doing? Zooming in farther, Angonce could see exactly what they were up to. "Is that… a sacrificial altar?" It was, and being led to it were the Toa and the Glatorian. Following after them were three more Toa, one of air and two of water. "Helryx!" It was indeed, Helryx, the first Toa, and one he had personally met. Also, there were a Po-Matoran and a Ta-Matoran, along with a large being he didn't recognize, a Makuta, and lastly… Artahka?! What was Artahka doing here? How could have a Makuta been brought down? And what underhanded methods had those Agori used in order to capture such powerful beings?

Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on that question. They were all going to be sacrificed unless he could reach that altar and stop the Agori. There was no time to take the stairs back down; Angonce vaulted over the edge and dropped down 35 feet. He hit the ground rolling, taking off as fast as his legs could go, his cloak cracking and whipping behind him.

It was the work of mere moments to reach the sacrificial altar. The Agori crowd blocked his way, but Angonce's large frame would easily be able to push them aside. He lowered his left shoulder and charged in. The Agori parted in front of him like water.

Angonce had the element of surprise, but it took only a few seconds before the shock had worn off and the Agori began to put up a fight, actively impeding Angonce's progress. The only good part of this was that the focus of the Agori had shifted to Angonce, and the sacrifices were now being ignored. Luckily for Angonce, they recognized an opportunity when they saw one. The Toa of Lightning used her elemental powers to melt the steel binding her wrists and ankles. She would have done so earlier had they not been surrounded by thousands of Agori, and their belief in not killing, which they would have undoubtedly had to do to escape. She reached out her hands, lightning arcing from her fingers to melt the fetters on the other sacrifices. They all broke free, with Helryx and the Toa of Air restraining the other Toa of Water. Artahka took the two Matoran, shielding them and taking them away from the imminent fight. The large being, the Makuta, and the remaining Toa and Glatorian got into their stances for battle.

But Angonce would have no such battle. He could not have his creations fighting against each other. He cast off his cloak, revealing his armor, and brandished his weapon. He made himself look as fearsome as he could.

His plan worked; the Agori, mortally afraid of him, backed away from him. "Come along!" he called to the group of ex-sacrifices. "Let's get out of here before these Agori gather up enough courage to fight back." Soon, with little fanfare, the group had gotten miles from the Agori village, and at that point was hidden in a well-concealed cave Angonce was familiar with.

The Toa of Lightning was the first to ask the question which Angonce knew was weighing on all their minds: "Just who are you?"

Angonce sighed. "My name is not important. And believe me, I have very, _very_ good reasons for keeping my identity secret."

"Then how can we trust you? If you won't tell us who you are, how can we be expected to believe anything that you tell us?"

"I saved all of you from those Agori. Doesn't that count for something?" He turned to Orde. "Don't try to disguise it. I know you are probing into my mind. You'll glean nothing."

"He's right," spat Orde in frustration. "I can't read a single thought of his."

"All the more reason for us not to trust him."

"You can read emotional intentions just as well as thoughts, can you not?" Angonce turned to Orde. "Read what I am feeling when I tell you that I mean you no harm."

Orde closed his eyes for a few moments. "He is telling the truth."

"Are you absolutely sure, Orde?" asked Helryx. "He could be concealing his true intentions from you."

"Surely you know that's impossible. One can try, but one's true feelings are always on display in one's mind." Angonce gave a heavy sigh. "I don't appreciate lying in an attempt to intimidate me. It is very unbecoming of one such as yourself."

"We don't have time to argue!" cried the Toa of Iron.

"Indeed," growled the Makuta.

"Thank you, Miserix," said Orde. "You are correct Zaria; we have no time to waste. You, Chiara, Gelu, and I must find the Great Beings. We-" He stopped, slowly turning to look at Angonce, the look on his face wondering if he said too much. Too much information in the wrong hands was a very dangerous thing. True, they knew he would not harm them, but he had said nothing about anything else.

He knew it would happen. He too had heard Mata Nui's last request. So, these were the ones sent out to fulfill that request. "So, you quest for the Great Beings. I believe I can be of assistance." He began to pace. "There is something that can aid in your search at the North Pole of this planet."

Orde looked skeptical. "Would you mind telling us exactly what it is that's up there?"

Angonce wanted desperately to tell them, he really wanted ot. But he couldn't. Despite their quest involving him directly, he could not just tell them who he was. Doing so would deprive them of independence. While The Great Beings could and would act as rulers, he did not wish to have their people relying completely on them; they were rulers, not gods. It was quite a quandary he found himself in.

"No, I cannot. But you know very well that I am telling the truth, Orde, and that something very valuable to your quest lies there. I will not say what, but you must trust me."

Orde's eyes closed as he read Angonce's intentions. "Very well. Chiara, Zaria, Gelu, prepare yourselves. We depart for the North Pole at once."

The Toa of Lightning, apparently Chiara, spoke up. "And we're just supposed to set off with no weapons or equipment of any kind? Need I remind you that everything we had was stolen from us by those Vorox."

"Are they perchance among these?" Angonce threw a sack at the group, which upon hitting the floor opened, revealing a collection of weapons."

Chiara bent down. "Where did you find these?"

"Whilst I was in the village's prison, searching for all of you, I came across these. I figured that they would be useful. It turns out that I was right."

While the Makuta, Helryx, the Toa of Air and Water, the large being, and Artahka found their weapons within the pile, Orde, Chiara, Zaria, and Gelu had no such luck. They knew that the Vorox had taken their weapons, and there would be no chance of them being in the savages' prison. "I do believe that there are more weapons there." They looked at him, collectively raising their eyebrows. "They're not your weapons, but I think that you could find some weapons in the pile that could service you well enough."

In the end, Gelu found a slicer similar to his old one; Orde found a pair of swords, Chiara a trident, and Zaria a large war hammer. "Thank you. How can we ever repay you?" asked Gelu.

"Think nothing of it. You can repay me by using the information I've given you to its fullest extent. Go to the North Pole; find the Great Beings."

"We will."

"And I'm coming with you." The Makuta stepped forward.

"Why Miserix?"

"Teridax has destroyed the good name of the Makuta. As the last of the Makuta, it is my duty to atone for his mistakes; the best way to do that is to help find the Great Beings, and fix what Teridax has ruined."

Orde scanned his intentions. "So be it. I have no objections." Chiara, Zaria, and Gelu nodded; they had no objections either. They needed all the help they could get.

Miserix bowed. "Thank you for allowing me to join your quest. I hope that I can be of some assistance."

"Do you mind-know where the Matoran village is?" the Toa of Air asked. "I need to report back to fire-brother Tahu, and let him know what has happened-gone here."

"Tahu?" What did this Toa have to do with such a legendary Toa? "Who are you?"

"I am his air-brother, Lewa." Lewa?

Angonce recovered his composure. "Yes, I do know where the village is. Just head due west from here. You'll reach it in a few days."

"Good. I think that the village is the best place to go. We must decide what to do with _you_." Helryx looked at the other Toa of Water as she said that last word.

Artahka, the large being, and the two Matoran agreed to head to the village as well.

"Lewa, do you think you could carry a message to Tahu for me?"

"Of course, Orde. What message do you have for him?"

"It's of the utmost importance. There is a Vorox named Kabrua who lives here on Bota Magna. He has had contact with a Great Being, and through him has managed to obtain a device that is able to deactivate the elemental abilities of Toa. Kabrua himself means to march on the village and destroy us all. And the Great Being has horrible plans in store for this planet. He hid himself as someone in our universe for 100,000 years, but now he's returned." He shuddered. "They both must be stopped, at any cost. Kabrua's danger is more imminent, but the Great Being's threat is far greater. Tahu must be made aware of both. We cannot let them win; we must defeat them both."

As both groups departed for their respective destinations, Angonce remained behind, deep in thought. A Great Being hidden in the Matoran Universe? One that now had evil plans? It couldn't be… No, it couldn't… But it had to be…

Velika…


	12. Chapter 11

"This way," said Lhikan as he hauled himself, not without difficulty, up a ventilation shaft. "We're almost there."

"My apologies, 'wise' Turaga, but you've been saying we're close for over a half hour now. Are we close or aren't we?" Pohatu was getting frustrated, and rightfully so.

Mavrah's temper finally loosed itself. "You should just be grateful that we have someone like Turaga Lhikan to guide us through these ducts. I've been in here a few times myself, on my own; I got lost easily and only got out through sheer luck. So, if I were you, I would just shut up and follow him."

There came a sigh from behind the two of them. "Please, this arguing is getting us nowhere. If the both of you really want to reach the top as fast as possible, then please be so kind as to shut up, both of you." He pushed past them and kept moving.

Mavrah looked a bit hurt. "Is he always like that?"

"Don't worry about it. Kopaka's always been the fun-hating member of the group. Just keep climbing and avoid direct eye contact with him and you should be fine."

The intrepid group continued climbing, while outside rang sounds of footsteps, ones only created by massive groups moving together. The Kestora.

"They sure have pulled out all the stops."

"Thank you, Pohatu. I think we all understand perfectly well that the Kestora are doing everything in their power to find us. But still, thank you for reminding us." He was clearly restraining himself to prevent from erupting in anger.

The Kestora were the reason that it was taking the group so long to reach the top of the Red Star. After Kopaka had subdued the group of Kestora they had encountered earlier, someone had raised an alarm. The Kestora knew they were somewhere in the ventilation ducts, but luckily for the group, they did not know exactly where. Unfortunately, that meant that the Kestora were scouring every inch of the Red Star, searching frantically for them.

The sound of shearing metal could be faintly heard a few levels down. The Kestora were cutting their way into the ventilation ducts. Kopaka could faintly hear them clambering through the ducts, attempting to find them. Their situation was growing more perilous by the minute.

Suddenly, Lhikan stopped outside of a grate, through which light streamed into the duct. "In here, quickly. Get up against the nearby wall. Don't ask questions." The rest of the group did as instructed, quickly entering the room while Lhikan grabbed a nearby blanket of some sort, throwing it over them. "Don't take that off, whatever you do." He turned off the lights and hurried to get under the blanket as well.

He did so just in the nick of time.

"They have to be somewhere around here," came a voice from the ventilation duct they had just exited.

"Obviously, they have to be. But if we don't find exactly where soon, we're all going to be in big trouble. Now, open that grate and make sure they aren't hiding in there. The rest of the squad will be here in a minute, and I don't want them yelling at us for 'not properly investigating the area'."

The metal-on-metal sound of the grate being slid out from the wall seemed to echo endlessly and permeate the very air of the room. They could all picture in their mind the Kestora looking in, its eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of them. If that Kestora managed to see even a speck of light from their eyes or heartlights, they'd be dead. The Kestora were working their way upwards. Kopaka could use his mask to see exactly how many Kestora there were and where, the quiet whizzing of his eyepiece would undoubtedly alert the Kestora to their presence.

"I can't see them."

"You can barely see anything in there. Why don't you turn the light on?" They all froze.

"Nah. If they were in here we'd be able to see the light from their eyes and heartlights. Trust me, they're not in here." The grate could be heard sliding back into place, and the noises of the two Kestora faded away. Pohatu was about to take off the blanket when Lhikan grabbed his arm.

"Not yet."

Lhikan's caution was rewarded when a large group of Kestora, about fifty or so judging by the loudness and quantity of noise, traipsed by the room.

As soon as they had passed, Lhikan ripped off the blanket, bathing the room in a low light. "They've cut us off. We need to find another way up."

"Is there another way, Turaga?"

"Mavrah, there are always possibilities." He opened the door slightly, just enough to see. "Come, follow me." He led them down the hallway into a nearby room. "If my memory serves me properly, there should be a fairly isolated duct in the ceiling here. It's mostly unused, and it will take us straight to the top.

Kopaka and Pohatu entered the room. "Mata Nui," they gasped.

Before them lay a scene of utterly gruesome carnage. Body parts were strewn all over the room. There were arms hanging from the ceiling, suspended by their strung-out, exposed muscles. Heads of Matoran and Toa were mounted along the walls, and various body parts, most still leaking protodermis, were scattered around the room. The walls, which it appeared had originally been bright white, had silvery, metallic stains all across them. Tiny metal bits and chips were ground into the floor, having been carelessly stepped on by hundreds of Kestora. It was quite clear what had happened here; this was where the Kestora brought Toa and Matoran to die.

Pohatu's fists clenched. "I… I never imagined. I went through these labs when we first got here, and I saw horrific things, but none like this. I saw bodies mangled. I saw Matoran, Toa, Vortixx, and more cut open and still alive, pleading with the Kestora with what little energy they had left. But this… this is worse. They just ripped them apart! They didn't care a whit what they felt; they ripped them apart with no regard whatsoever! The rooms I saw at least looked slightly scientific, as if they had some method to their madness. But this… This carnage… I… I…" He broke down, falling to his hands and knees. "I didn't know! How can they do this? How can they commit such atrocities? Have they no conscience?" It was the most serious Kopaka had ever seen his brother.

Lhikan, his head hung, entered behind the both of them. "I do apologize. I had forgotten the state of this room. This room is the worst amongst the labs. This is where the vast majority of the Kestora's work has been carried out since the incident."

Kopaka turned to him. "By 'the incident', I'm assuming that you're referring to the incident with Gaardus that no one seems to know much about?"

"Precisely. Once the Kestora discovered that no one could be sent back, they began frantically searching for the reason. What you see here is the fruits of their labor; beings mercilessly slaughtered all to help the Kestora solve a problem that has gone unsolved for tens of thousands of years. It truly is a tragedy.

"But that is the past. No matter how hard we try, these murders cannot be undone. We must keep pressing forward. If we become obsessed with the past, we can never focus on the present or look to the future."

"How can you say that?" asked Kopaka, a light twinge of anger in his voice. While he normally showed no emotion, that didn't mean he was devoid of it. "How can you approve of these horrible murders?"

"I do not approve. I merely accept that they are dead, and that nothing I do can change that."

"You are a Turaga. You uphold the same duty as us. You are to defend those who cannot defend themselves. How can you let their deaths go unavenged?"

"They must not necessarily be avenged at present. You are allowing the horror of this scene to cloud your judgment, Kopaka. I am but a lone Turaga, surrounded by thousands of Kestora? What could I do against them? It would be far better to live and wait for the proper moment to avenge them, when the Kestora are at their weakest. Attempting to do otherwise would merely result in my death, and if I died, who would be left to avenge them? All of the beings capable of doing so are imprisoned by the Kestora under the most powerful security they can provide.

"I don't like it any more than you do, Kopaka. But we must survive to fight another day, so that we may someday avenge their deaths."

Silently, a mutual understanding was reached. Without a word, Kopaka got up on what was clearly the operating table, as the metal had copious amounts of hardened protodermis on top of it which the Kestora had neglected to clean. The grate in the ceiling was a short distance above him, and it was but the work of a minute to loosen it, and a few moments later the group was back in the ducts.

"I think I know how we can do our duty to all those Matoran, Toa, and countless others who have died at the hands of the Kestora." Pohatu had clearly been thinking about this ever since Kopaka and Lhikan's argument. "Gaardus clearly isn't going to explain what happened the last time he was here, and why no one who comes here can leave. So why don't we attempt to find the answer ourselves? We have access to the ducts; we could search the entire Red Star if we needed to."

"Pohatu, you forget our mission. We must find Gaardus. If we don't, we cannot return to Spherus Magna; if we can't return to the surface, we will be unable to find the killer of Karzahni and Tren Krom. If we did as you suggested, we would merely be more acutely aware of our situation; we would still be stuck here."

"Not necessarily," interjected Mavrah. "If we know what Gaardus did to trap everyone here, maybe we can fix it."

"And if we can fix it, we can save the lives of all the other beings here, who would instead be tortured and dissected. It's our duty as Toa to save them. Besides, we would also be able to use the method of transportation to the surface ourselves. We would end up saving more lives than if we simply find Gaardus and escape."

"Pohatu, there is no guarantee that your plan will work. We may not be able to find the source of the problem; even if we find it, we may not be able to fix it, and even if we did, there would be no guarantee that we would be able to use it ourselves. We would then be trapped up here, most likely without Gaardus. I'm sorry Pohatu, but there are risks there that we simply can't afford. Besides, we are here. We have Gaardus nearly in our grasp; it would be foolish to allow him to escape now, when we're so close."

As Kopaka finished, Lhikan silenced all of them. "We're here." He kicked open the grate, which led into a bright white room. The ceiling was sloped, which made sense, as they were at the edge of the Red Star. Dominating the one vertical wall was a massive door. The front of it was lined with horizontal bars, clearly locks. Each one had an individual tumbler. In the center of the door near the floor was a series of keypads. Electrical locks.

"So Gaardus is behind there?" Mavrah rubbed his hands together. "Let's get to work." He headed towards the door with the intent to pick every last one of the locks. However, a few feet from the door, he found himself shocked and pushed back by an unknown force. Hesitantly, he reached out with his hand again, only to find it met with resistance. Light blue energy sparkled around the edges of his hand. "A force field." A security system this advanced could have only been designed by a Great Being.

As they all realized that, the same question sprang to all their minds. What could be behind this door that the Great Beings found it necessary to guard it so strongly? The possibilities frightened even Kopaka and Pohatu.

Undaunted, Mavrah moved to the side, keeping his hands extended to follow the border of the force field. He reached the wall, which only had about three feet for him to work with. He set about quickly removing a wall panel, which, with the help of Kopaka's blade, was but the work of a moment. Mavrah slid his body into the opening, grinning in contentment as he looked around. "Bingo. There's a service console in here. I think I can use it to deactivate the force field." But at that moment, a loud arcing sound was heard, and Pohatu who was leaning against the force field, suddenly found himself on the floor.

"You could have warned me before deactivating the force field, Mavrah." Pohatu dusted himself off, angry but unharmed.

Mavrah pulled himself out, his face wearing an expression of horror. "But I didn't turn it off. I didn't touch anything." Just then, there were loud spinning sounds, as every tumbler on the door began to spin, and clangs followed as the locks opened themselves. The consoles beeped approvingly as they turned green; they too had been opened, apparently.

With loud grinding noises, the door slid downwards, leaving a large, black hole in the middle of the wall, a giant, gaping maw into the room ahead. Did they dare go through it? Kopaka activated his Akaku Nuva, and saw that there was a large being in there, big enough to only be Gaardus, although the shape was a little fuzzy.

"He's in there all right."

"Are you sure?"

"My mask doesn't lie. He's in there. I can see him."

"Then let's go in and get him."

"With pleasure."

The four cautiously advanced into the darkness. They had just crossed the threshold into the darkness, and Pohatu had just begun sharing his mask power with everyone, when the door suddenly slammed behind them, plunging them into total darkness. Kopaka frantically looked around, attempting to find Gaardus, but saw nothing. Where had he gone? Had he teleported away? Had their only chance for escape gone?

The lights flashed on, blinding the group. As their eyes were still adjusting, a loud voice boomed through the room. "You have done well to reach here." Definitely not Gaardus.

Kopaka's eyes finally adjusted, and he looked around for the source of the voice. "Where are you?" he yelled, "Show yourself!"

"Very well." The voice came from above.

All four looked up. Sprawled across the ceiling was a large, red gelatinous mass, with vast, innumerable tentacles, covered with row upon row of thorns. Sitting at the center of this large mass was what appeared to be the head of the being. It had two horns protruding from its forehead; its eyes were recessed, barely visible except for their bright, acid green color, which stood in stark contrast to its ruby-red body. Beneath those eyes was a gaping maw, the outer edge of which was lined with spikes as well, possibly teeth of some sort. Inside the mouth was row after row of razor-sharp teeth, all of which bristled and moved as if in anticipation.

The sight was so horrifying and disturbing that it quite literally was causing Kopaka to lose his sanity. He wanted to look away, yet his fear left him unable to move. Though he did not know it, the same was happening to Pohatu, Mavrah, and Lhikan as well.

But just as soon as it had come, the feeling of insanity began to disappear, as his mind was bathed with soothing calmness, like warm water being washed over him. He was finally able to look away and look at the others. They all appeared to have had the same thing happen to them.

"I do apologize for my appearance. It has been a long time since I have had contact with other beings; I forgot that my appearance caused insanity."

Hesitantly, Kopaka replied. "You caused that? Then what caused it to go away?"

"That was me as well. I have the ability to enter other beings' minds. While I normally refrain from doing so on moral grounds, I deemed it necessary to enter your minds and calm you to allow you to keep your sanity."

The fact that this being could reach into their minds at any moment had them all on edge.

"Do not worry. I can assure you that I use my powers sparingly, unlike my brother used to."

"Brother?" Kopaka inquired. "You have a brother?"

"Oh, I do apologize. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Torvus Krom. I am the master of this place; I control it in every possible way. Here, I am like a god."

Silence.

"Torvus Krom… By any chance, is Tren Krom your brother?"

"Oh, you know of him? Yes, he is."

Kopaka chose his next words carefully. "You may or may not know this, but your brother has committed atrocities against beings of our universe. Why should we believe that you are any different?"

Torvus Krom laughed, a chilling chortle that gave everyone chills. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already. While your powers are impressive, you are like ants compared to me.

"I know you were brought here by a being named Gaardus. Unfortunately, he is no longer on the Red Star, and at present, I can do nothing concerning him. I merely planted an illusion of Gaardus for you, as I knew it would draw you here so that I could converse with all of you face to face. Now tell me, what was your reason for having Gaardus bring you to this place?"

"The death of your brother."

They could all feel a wave of sadness washing over them as Torvus Krom grieved for his brother. "I will not say he was perfect, or even good, but he lived the only way he knew how."

The room was filled with a stifling silence, as no one dared speak.

Eventually, Pohatu found the courage to speak up. "I don't mean to interrupt your grieving, but woulc you perhaps inform us as to why you went out of your way to bring us here?"

Torvus Krom snapped out of his reverie. "Ah, yes. Forgive me. As I said before, I am aware that Gaardus brought you here. It appears that he has caused trouble for you by leaving you here. He has caused me trouble as well. However, I believe I have a solution that can solve both of our problems."

Hissing sounded from behind the group, and they turned to see a section of wall slide down, revealing, recessed into the wall, a circular pad with six smaller pads displayed radially on it.

"You see," began Torvus Krom, calling their attention back to him "part of my duty as controller of the Red Star is to send those beings who have been fixed back to your universe. However, tens of thousands of years ago, Gaardus arrived here, and due to his genetic modifications, detected me. Most likely due to an unstable mental state, he decided to come and attack me. Despite my best efforts at stopping him using the security systems of the star, he managed to penetrate my defenses. While in here, he managed to destroy the piece of equipment I used to send beings back, as well as my security systems. Luckily, I was able to get him away from here before he could do any more damage.

"I was able to do so by using the device behind you. It's a transporter which works in much the same way as the equipment which Gaardus destroyed. However, I am unable to remotely use it on beings throughout the star. Beings can only use this transporter when they are standing directly on those pads. From there I can transport them thousands of miles, such as down to a planet that the star is orbiting.

"Unfortunately, the transporter will not work with those who have been brought here by me to be fixed. There is a lockout system which has genetic keys. Whenever a being is brought here, their genetic key is added to the system, and they are prevented from leaving.

"I would use beings with engineering skill amongst the population here or fix it myself, but I am permanently hardwired to the Red Star systems, and thus I'm incapable of moving. My prime directive, given to me by the Great Beings, is to do my duty while making my presence known to absolutely no one. I did not know that Lhikan and Mavrah were with you; otherwise I would have been unable to call you here; as it stands, Mavrah and Lhikan may not leave here, lest I run the risk of them exposing my existence.

"The materials required to fix the equipment aren't even on the star. The only way for the system to be repaired would be to find a Great Being and have them fix it. And fortunately, I know where one is."

"You do!" Pohatu and Kopaka exclaimed. "Who? Where?"

"He goes by the name of Angonce. While his brothers and sisters fled the planet, he remained behind in order to study the Agori and Glatorian. He currently resides in a hidden, remote laboratory, which he was kind enough to provide me with the coordinates for before the Red Star and Mata Nui were sent on their way.

Kopaka, Pohatu, as you were not brought here by me, you are not locked out of the transporter. My plan is to transport the two of you to the surface of Spherus Magna with communicators to contact me. I will transport you as close to Angonce's lab as I can; from there, you will have to convince Angonce to help; without him, everyone will remain trapped here, and the murders of the Kestora will continue."

With simple nods, Kopaka and Pohatu signaled their willingness to follow Torvus Krom's plan. "Take a communicator from the rack behind you, each of you." Kopaka and Pohatu turned to see palm sized devices, with a metal mesh covering the front. "You can flip the mesh up to engage in communication. It's attuned to my receiving frequency. It's fairly simple to use.

"Now, if you would kindly step onto two of the pads?" They did as they were told. "Energizing." Energy surrounded Kopaka and Pohatu as their minds began to slip in and out of focus. The scene around them became fuzzy, and began to oscillate with pure, inky blackness.

Then, just like that, it was all over. They were standing in a jungle, surrounded by large trees, with a mountain nearby.

Kopaka pulled out his communicator and flipped it open. "Torvus Krom? Are you there?"

His voice replied, "Yes I am. Good, you've arrived on the planet. Now, do you see a mountain nearby?"

"It's right in front of us."

"Search around the base. There should be a hidden door somewhere; you just have to find it. I'll leave you to your work. Contact me again if you run into trouble or if you find Angonce and wish to be transported back to the Red Star." The communicator went silent, and Kopaka flipped it closed.

He activated his Akaku, clearly seeing the laboratory inside the mountain. And there was a being in there. Fascinating. He'd expected the Great Beings to be... taller.

Kopaka located the door nearby almost instantly. It took only a few minutes for them to cut through the foliage and reach it. It was well disguised, but lacking in security. The door was sealed with a simple combination lock, and Kopaka could see the tumblers. Within a minute, Kopaka had clicked the tumblers into place and opened the door, the two of them stepping into the lab.

They were in a Great Being's lab; Kopaka couldn't shake the awe that filled him upon thinking that. They were in a Great Being's lab, about to meet one.

The being he had seen earlier was at the far end of the room, sitting in front of a large computer console, typing away at the keyboard. Strange; it looked almost like a Po-Matoran. But it wasn't… right?

"Hello and welcome! I've been expecting you!" The being spun around in the chair to reveal himself.

"Velika?" Kopaka and Pohatu yelled it at the same time. "What are you doing here?"

"Tut tut tut. Is that any way to treat a god? And here I thought I'd meet fans of my handiwork. It was what led you here after all."

God? Handiwork? What was he talking about?

"I should applaud you for finding me, but you and Pohatu know too much. And right now, you're interfering with my research." He pulled something out from behind him. "I'm sorry. Goodbye."

A blue burst of energy hit Pohatu and knocked him to the ground. Before Kopaka could react, another energy burst headed towards him. He felt a surge of pain run through his body, and he knew no more.


	13. Chapter 12

Vakama staggered backwards. Him? This was him? It couldn't be. It was… impossible. And yet there he stood. He certainly looked like he used to when he was a Matoran. It all added up. The Matoran all being here, the appearance of the city, everything. And yet…

Vakama couldn't bring himself to believe such a thing was possible. If it was, then Mata Nui protect them from whoever wielded power that immense.

"Um, hello?" the Matoran who claimed to be Vakama asked, "Are you okay? Can I help you with anything?"

Vakama composed himself as much as he could. "I believe you've given me everything I need, thank you. I'll- I'll just be on my way now." He turned and stiffly forced himself to walk out of the forge, the rest of the Toa Metru, Takanuva, and Kopeke following behind him, attempting to determine what exactly his mental condition was.

As soon as he got outside and the door had closed, Vakama collapsed. Luckily, Nuju and Onewa were quick enough to support him before he fully slumped to the ground. They set him down gently against the wall, trying to bring his mind back to clarity.

"You don't really believe that do you Vakama?" asked Nokama. "You can't really believe that he's you?"

"I-I'm not sure what to believe any more, sister. This may be some gigantic illusion; it may be something much more corporeal. All I know is, we have to be sure. We must get to the bottom of this and determine what has happened to Metru Nui."

"I agree. This situation is very odd; nothing makes sense."

"There being two of you? It seems something straight out of legend. You've never led us astray before, Vakama. I'll follow you to the bitter end."

"As will I."

"And I."

"And I."

"And count me in."

"While I don't know you as much as they do, I still know enough to know that you'd never lead us astray. I'll follow you."

"And don't you dare leave me out of this."

Vakama finally gathered the energy to stand. "Thank you, my friends. Let's head out."

"Wait." Nokama grabbed his arm. "Where are we going?"

"We have to scour Metru Nui; we have to search it from top to bottom. We must get down to the bottom of what has taken place here; we must figure out what has happened, who has caused it, and why. Clearly, someone or something has caused Metru Nui to become this way, and until we can prove otherwise, we must assume that their intentions are evil, otherwise we would know of it; good has no reason to hide its doings; evil on the other hand… Something with power of this magnitude, the power to create what we see around us, put to use for evil, could lead to things that I cannot begin to fathom.

"We should head north to Ga-Metru first. It's the closest Metru to our current location. It's also the location for all of the protodermis laboratories in the city. Whoever's behind this, it's most likely that whoever perpetrated whatever happened here started their experiments in those labs; they're the most advanced scientific facilities in the city. We need to search those labs for anything suspicious." He stood resolutely, facing north. "Let's go."

The next day, the Toa Metru, Kopeke, and Takanuva stood in the center plaza of Ga-Metru. Around them cascaded waterfalls of protodermis, the raging torrents glistening and shining in the light, thundering into the placid pools below, drowning out all the surrounding noise.

"Split up," said Vakama. "We need to cover all of the laboratories as fast as possible. Nuju, go south with Onewa. Whenua, go west with Kopeke. Matau, go east with Takanuva. Nokama and I will head north. You have to search those laboratories as completely as you can; find anything suspicious."

"But outsiders aren't allowed into the laboratories, except for a few select Ko-Matoran. They'd need a lab worker's express permission and personal appearance to enter the laboratories."

"Couldn't you just give us your permission, Nokama?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think that would work. No one recognizes us as we are, and so they'd obviously suspect that our intentions aren't good."

"Then what do you suggest we do? Go up and ask nicely for their permission?" Onewa snorted in laughter. "The Ga-Matoran are the nicest Matoran in Metru Nui, but even they have their limits. They won't allow outsiders in, especially Toa they don't recognize. We may be Toa, but in all the time I lived in Metru Nui, I've never known the Ga-Matoran to make exceptions to their rules."

"It look-appears to me that the only way we'll be able to enter these labs is to quiet-sneak in."

"How could you even think such a thing, Matau!" Nokama accused. "We're Toa! We have honor! And if we lose that honor, what do we have left? Besides, there's no guarantee we'll discover anything!"

"You're right, Nokama. We may not discover anything. But isn't it worth the risk? If we find something in there, we could put a stop to anything further that this perpetrator has planned. Think about it; if he wields the power to do whatever he has done to this city, what other powers might he possess? What might he do if he isn't stopped? Sometimes, Nokama, honor has to be shelved in order to do what is right."

Nokama shrank a bit before Vakama's sharp tongue. She became meek and timid, two things she normally wasn't. "Vakama…" He wasn't normally like this.

Vakama grabbed her arms firmly. "Nokama, listen to me. I understand that, as Toa, honor is important. But there are more important things than honor; above all, we must do what is right."

Nokama inhaled deeply. "Yes. You're right, of course. It's just… the thought of doing such things makes me…"

Vakama smiled. "It's okay. Know that whatever we do down here is for the benefit of all above. Think of the other Toa, the Matoran, the Agori, the Glatorian, and all the others. Whoever or whatever was able to do this must be stopped. For all we know, they could intend to turn all these Matoran and Toa into an army. And if they've recreated Metru Nui, what is there stopping them from performing this elsewhere? Perhaps our entire universe has been reanimated in some way, meaning to serve as a giant army for some greater power that we cannot yet fathom.

"And we are all that stands in its way."

Vakama's speech seemed to strengthen Nokama; she looked him in the eyes and nodded. "You're right; we must do whatever needs to be done."

"Thank you, Nokama." Letting go of her, he turned to address the rest of the group. "I can give you no specifics; I don't know what you'll find out there. All I will tell you is, stay alive, and find whoever is responsible for this."

With nods of assent from everyone, they took off in their separate groups.

Later that day, Nuju and Onewa found themselves suspended from the ceiling of one of the laboratories, as Ga-Matoran worked beneath them.

"Now, remind me why we're up here," whispered Onewa. "My arms are killing me; what exactly are we waiting for?"

"We're waiting," replied Nuju, "For any news these Ga-Matoran can give us. We've scoured this entire lab. It's the largest in this section of Ga-Metru; there are no labs that can hope to compare to this one in either size or importance for miles around. All of the important Ga-Matoran in this section work here, and where there are important Matoran, there are important secrets. Now be quiet; here they come."

A pair of Ga-Matoran scientists walked in, carrying a vat of protodermis between them. "So," said one, "What do you think Turaga Makov's announcement will be?"

"I don't know, but I've heard that he's going to start a great project; we're going to be building a Coliseum at the center of the city. It will serve as a place for the entire city to congregate and hear the messages of the Turaga. Oh, what a glorious day for Metru Nui!"

Nuju and Onewa looked at each other, each raising their eyebrows in question.

"Hey, what are you doing up there?!" yelled a Ga-Matoran who'd happened to look up.

"So that mask of yours can really see through walls?"

"Yes, if I concentrate the light coming from it enough. It's not as versatile as Kopaka's mask, but it can be useful in the right circumstances." There was a sound of a door opening and footsteps approaching from behind.

"Turn off the light," whispered Kopeke, "and get down." Whenua, knowing that this was neither the time nor place to argue, did so.

A lone Ga-Matoran passed through, carrying a rack of test tubes, inside of which was probably energized protodermis, evidenced by the glow and shimmer of the liquid.

They stood up, Whenua turning his mask's light on at a low level, allowing them to see. "That was close."

"Now, I understand that we'll be able to see through the wall, but how will we be able to understand them? These walls are so thick that even if they were yelling as loud as they could, we wouldn't be able to hear them."

"While I wish to be modest, I must admit that reading lips is a talent of mine. In the Archives, you're around the sort who drone on and on, boring you senseless. Most Onu-Matoran learn how to read lips so they can get the information they need without having to listen to that drone of inane chatter.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." He turned back to the wall, turning his mask to full power. He read their lips, and as the conversation went on, his face grew paler and paler. He became oblivious to the outside world, focused only on the conversation. He was finally broken out of his reverie by a large wrenching sound from above. He looked up to see a large pipe had disconnected and was heading right towards him. He quickly dodged, but upon trying to get up, he found he could not do so, as his body was in shock, still recovering from his observations.

Kopeke ran over to him. "What happened? What did they say?"

Whenua was gasping for breath. "They… they know we're here. They're looking for us. And if they find us…" He started to flicker in and out of consciousness. "We… we have to warn Vakama and the others."

Matau and Takanuva crawled through the sewers, Takanuva's mask lighting the way.

"Remind me… again… why the sewers… were the only way in." Takanuva paused as he yanked his feet out of the foul-smelling sludge.

"I speak-told you, this is the biggest lab, so it will have heavy guard-security. The foul-sewers are the safest way in," Matau responded.

"I'm not sure… I would consider… walking through this disgusting sludge… safe."

"Would you rather slash-fight the guards?" Takanuva went quiet, Matau's point being proven.

After about fifteen minutes of trundling their way through the sludge, Matau signaled a stop. He pointed up. "Our entrance is up there." Takanuva looked up, revealing a lidded hole in the ceiling twenty feet up.

"And how, pray tell, are we supposed to get up there? Toa are athletic and all, but even I can't jump up there."

"Ah, but you have a Toa of Air. I can make a cyclone to wind-fly us up there." Takanuva was understandably hesitant. "Trust me."

Takanuva regretted saying yes. He and Matau were now flying up the tunnel, riding ahead of a cyclone of sewer sludge. They were both drenched in the substance, and while Matau appeared to be enjoying himself, Takanuva couldn't say the same. He was wet, cold, and miserable. Why did he let Matau talk him into this?

They reached the top of the tunnel and came flying out, luckily unharmed. When Matau landed, Takanuva collapsed to the ground, retching and coughing as he tried to clear his system of the sludge. "Why did I ever listen to you?"

"Because I'm a Toa-hero, and I know best."

"Don't get a big head, Matau. That was terrible. I'm never going through that sludge again." He coughed up some more. "And remind me not to trust your ideas in the future."

As they were bickering, a Ga-Matoran had walked into the room. Upon seeing two intruders, she did the first thing that came to her mind. She screamed.

Matau and Takanuva turned around to see her holding a trident at them. "You… you're not supposed to be in here… Get out…" The two assumed defensive stances.

There were footsteps, and another Ga-Matoran came running into the room. "Nokama! What's wrong?"

Nokama? Their weapons clattered to the floor as they dropped them in pure shock. This in turn brought the attention of the two Ga-Matoran back to them. "What are you doing in here? Explain yourselves!"

Matau looked to Takanuva. "Are you mind-thinking what I am?"

"That we've learned some valuable information already from this encounter and should retreat as hastily as possible in order to relay it to Vakama?"

"Exactly." They picked up their weapons, turned, and dove back down the hole to the sewers.

Vakama and Nokama stood in bewilderment at the sight before them.

The Great Temple.

But… the Great Temple shouldn't be here. It was supposed to be farther north, much farther north. The only time that it had ever been here was millennia ago.

"Vakama?"

"Yes?"

"What is it doing here?" The building itself didn't frighten her, but the very fact that it existed, when by all means it shouldn't, did. It scared Vakama

"I don't know, Nokama, but it's our duty to find out. Let's go." Quickly and quietly, the two of them jumped in through one of the sunholes of the Temple.

Once inside, they halted on top of one of the large interior spires. The temple was mostly empty, but there was still a pair of Ga-Matoran who had come to offer their prayers to Mata Nui. It hurt Vakama to know that there was no one now to answer them.

The Ga-Matoran turned to leave, and their raised voices echoed throughout what they thought was an empty temple aside from them.

"Did you hear that a Makuta is here inspecting the city?"

"A Makuta inspecting the city? I find that hard to believe."

"No, it's true! He was seen in Ga-Metru just yesterday!"

"Really? Where?"

"South of here, near the border with Ta-Metru. I didn't see him, but everyone is saying that it's Teridax."

"The second-in-command of the Brotherhood of Makuta? Why would they send him? And how do they know he's inspecting the city?"

"They've seen him going through a lot of buildings; homes, laboratories, and basically every building in his vicinity."

"It sounds awfully shady to me. Are you sure we can trust him?"

"He's the lieutenant of the Brotherhood of Makuta! If we can't trust the Makuta, who can we trust?"

At this point, a third Ga-Matoran burst through the doors. "Vhisola! Macku!"

"Nokama! What are you doing here?"

Nokama nearly fell from the spire.

"The Defense Force just found over one hundred Ga-Matoran murdered!"

"Murdered? Where?"

"Down south of here. I don't know much about it, but as soon as I heard there were murders, I came here to let you two know to be on your guard."

"We don't need to worry, not with Teridax here! He'll make sure that the murderers come to justice."

One of the Ga-Matoran fainted.

"Macku! Are you alright? Help me carry her back to her house, Vhisola." The three Matoran left, leaving the Great Temple as silent as a tomb.

"What was that all about?" Nokama whispered. "Was that really me?"

"It certainly looked like you. It seems that there's a duplicate of you here. Just like me… and apparently Vhisola and Macku as well."

"And Teridax is here. I don't think he's inspecting the city, Vakama."

"Nor do I. But is this the Teridax that we followed down here, or a duplicate of Teridax somehow created along with the rest of Metru Nui. But if it's the latter, did what's happened here happen throughout the rest of Mata Nui's body?"

"Surely, only a god could wield such power."

"Normally, I'd agree with you, but I'm not sure what to believe. Come on, we should go check the labs for anything suspicious."

The end of the day saw the Toa Metru, Kopeke, and Takanuva regroup in the main plaza of Ga-Metru, which was now empty save them.

"So, has there been anything suspicious going on in the laboratories? Share anything you found."

For all three groups, the answer was the same: there was nothing out of the ordinary going on inside the laboratories.

"However," Nuju spoke up, "Onewa and I do have news to report. It appears that the Turaga leading the city is Turaga Makov."

"Makov?" Vakama queried, "But wasn't he-"

"The first leader of Metru Nui? Yes, he was."

"And apparently he's planning to announce his plan to build a large Coliseum in the center of the city?"

"The Coliseum?" The other members of the group turned to where they expected to see the tall spire of the Coliseum gracing the skyline, but it was absent. "How did we not notice that?" Everyone had a feeling of ill boding, like this wasn't even the city they remembered any more, which in all truth, it wasn't.

"Kopeke and I found something as well. They know we're here, Vakama. They know we're not from here, and they're looking for us, hunting us." As could be expected, it was met with quite a bit of trepidation.

"We found something as well. We found you, Nokama, or more properly, a duplicate of you."

"Yes," spoke Vakama, "We know. We saw her too. We also heard that Teridax is in the city. Unfortunately, we're not sure if it's our Teridax or not.

"Also, there were murders of over 100 Ga-Matoran last night. My bet is it's Teridax at work, but I can't be sure."

"Well, we still have no idea what's happened down here. History has no precedent for this!"

"Calm yourself, Whenua. We might not know for sure what happened here, but I have a theory.

"But there's only one way I can be sure. We have to go to the Archives. Whenua," he turned to the earth toa, "Can you get us in?"

Whenua smirked and crossed his arms. "Of course I can. What sort of archivist would I be if I couldn't sneak into the Archives?"

"Then, let's not wait around here any longer. To Onu-Metru!"

Unfortunately, due to their new status as wanted Toa, their path was long and circuitous. They couldn't head directly to Onu-Metru; the quickest route would also be the one with the most traffic. They were forced instead to travel through the canyons of Po-Metru, particularly the abandoned ones that were being prepared for building; no Matoran had moved in to begin any initial construction.

Their first night around the fire, Vakama noticed that something about Onewa was off. He kept looking around, as if everything was foreign to him. What was foreign? He was in his home.

"What's wrong Onewa?"

Onewa's head snapped up, startled by Vakama's voice. "Oh… oh, it's nothing."

"I know you too well, Onewa, and it's not nothing. Tell me, what's got you so bothered?"

"It's just… it's just that this place is so empty."

"Well, isn't that to be expected from a building site where there isn't any building being done yet?"

"That's just it. I know this valley. It's the one I worked in right before Toa Lhikan came and gave me my Toa stone."

"So?"

"This canyon, at the time of Toa Lhikan coming to see me, had been in continuous operation for 93,000 years. It's disturbing to find it here, empty, without a trace of any of the grand statues I remember from my time working here."

"I see…"

Nokama looked at him. "Does that mean something to you, Vakama?"

"Possibly, but I can't be sure until we reach the Archives. Whenua, how long until we reach them?"

"At our current rate of travel, I'd guess no later than tomorrow evening."

Takanuva cleared his throat before speaking up. "Um, I hate to interrupt this discussion, but has anyone seen Kopeke?"

Everyone looked around. Kopeke was in fact missing. But where had he gone to?

As they were all pondering this, there was a loud scream in the distance, which was quickly and abruptly terminated. Without a second thought, the seven Toa gathered up their weapons and rushed towards the source of the sound. It wasn't far, only about a mile down the canyon. But what they found horrified them.

They saw Kopeke standing over a dead Po-Matoran. His neck had been broken, probably by whatever had caused the scream.

"Kopeke, what happened here?"

Kopeke, a look of shock and horror on his face, turned around. "I wish I knew. I thought I saw something off in the distance, so I went to investigate. Then I heard the scream, presumably just as you did, and I ran here as fast as I could. All I was able to see was a shadowy being run away faster than I could catch it."

The name was on everyone's lips. "Teridax." They all snarled it at once. Apparently Ga-Metru wasn't enough.

"Vakama, what do we do?"

Vakama was prevented from answering by a large rumbling in the distance, as a large section of nearby cliff gave way and tumbled towards them. Onewa put his hands to the ground, immediately erecting a large stone wall in front of them. The rock slide battered against the wall, which was held up only by Onewa's great force of will.

One the rock slide subsided, Onewa collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Nokama tended to him.

"To answer your question, Nokama, unfortunately there's nothing we can do. This Matoran is dead; there's nothing we can do to change that. And as much as it pains me to say it, we can't give chase. If we did, we'd be found and most likely tossed in prison. It pains me to say so, but we can't stop Teridax at present." Even though Vakama was right, it still didn't sit well with any of them.

The morning arrived without further incident, and Vakama pulled Kopeke aside. "Kopeke, I've decided that you shall not accompany us into the Archives."

"Why?" Kopeke was clearly puzzled.

"We need to send someone back to check on Gresh. This is foreign territory to him. Who knows what could have happened to him in the two days we've been gone, especially since we're being hunted. Please, Kopeke, I need you to do this."

Kopeke agreed, and Vakama sent him on his way, telling him only to stay out of sight, while the rest of them continued on to the Archives.

Whenua snuck them in through a side entrance only used for the transportation of supplies for the archived Rahi. As the Archives ordered food in batches so that it could be used as an emergency bunker if necessary, the gate was empty and unused most of the time.

"Where's the records department?"

"A few levels down, but it's one of the most used levels in the Archives. If we go there, we'll have a much higher chance of being seen."

"That's a risk we'll have to take. I need to get to the room containing the most recent records."

"You name it, I'll get you to it."

They descended to the records level, where, as Whenua had said, there was much more traffic, although the sheer scope of the Archives meant that the floor was still mostly empty.

"Follow me." The group swiftly and silently did as Whenua said. They stood watch while Whenua picked the lock on the door he had guided them to.

"!"

Whenua quickly quieted himself. "They're not here! This room's empty!"

"How is that possible?" Nuju asked.

"The only explanation I can think of is that they've been moved, but the Archives has very strict policies against that."

"Can you take us back further? How about to the history written 95,000 years ago?"

"Yeah, it's just down this hallway. But why?"

"Just trust me, Whenua. I have my reasons."

Whenua, ever obligatory, led them to the room Vakama had specified, only to be met with something even more baffling than before.

That room was empty as well.

"It's as if history hasn't been written yet."

"That's because it hasn't."

"What do you mean Vakama?"

"What I mean is that this isn't a recreation of Metru Nui, at least not as we know it. Somehow, someway, Metru Nui has been reverted to an earlier state of existence, at least 95,000 years ago, judging by what I just saw. Before you ask, I don't know how it's possible or who or what is responsible for it, but it's the one solution that all the evidence points to.

"First, there are replicas of all of us from before we were Toa. I'm specifically an apprentice to Nuhrii still; I didn't leave the apprenticeship until about 80,000 years ago. Second, Turaga Mavok is still leader, and the Coliseum hasn't been constructed yet. Third, the Great Temple is in its original location. Fourth, the sculptures of the Po-Matoran don't exist. Lastly, the evidence you just saw here. In my mind, there can be no doubt. As outlandish as it seems, Metru Nui has reverted to its state about 100,000 years ago."

But before any of them could respond…

"Hey, who are you? And what are you doing down here? This is a restricted area!"

The Toa turned to see an Onu-Matoran a ways down the tunnel. They turned to get a better look at him.

"You! You're those wanted Toa!" He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Whenua! Sound the alarm!" Klaxon alarms began to sound, and the hallway was bathed in deep red light.

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" wailed the alarm.

"Go! Go!" Vakama yelled, rushing down the corridor, the others following close behind. "We have to get to an upper level! Which way is that, Whenua?"

"Right!" They turned, only to be met with Matoran with disk launchers leveled at them.

"Go back!"

"Fire!"

A firestorm of discs came their way, exploding all around them. "Down to the lower levels! It's the only way!" yelled Whenua.

They descended through level after level, relentlessly pursued by Matoran. It left them no choice but to descend further into the Archives, until they had no further to go; they had reached the bottom level.

"What do we do now?" asked Matau.

"Our only exit is blocked!" yelled Whenua.

Vakama remembered that they had been in this situation once before. "Then we make our own! Whenua! Use your drills to get us out of here! Over there!" He pointed.

"I'm on it!" He began drilling where Vakama had pointed as if their lives depended on it, which, in all reality, they did.

"Where are we hoping to dig? We're miles underground! We won't make it far before they get in here!"

"That's why we're just digging a few rooms over. While all the Matoran are gathered here outside the door, we'll be able to exit through another room and sneak past. Now, help me brace the door."

He, Nokama, and Matau loaded everything they could find against the door; this being a storeroom, it was mostly metal beams. Vakama channeled his fire powers, welding the beams to the walls. "Onewa, erect a stone wall around this. Now!"

Onewa did as ordered, clamping five feet of stone all around the door. All noise from outside immediately ceased, muffled by the noise.

"Nuju, if you will." The door was further covered by a five foot thick wall of ice. "I'd like to see them break through that."

There was a loud bang, followed by what sounded like a massive explosion. There was a large gust of wind, which knocked back the seven Toa and slammed them against the back wall. As the dust cleared, they could hear heavy footsteps, stone breaking and metal rending underneath.

The dust cleared, and in front of them stood Teridax. He smirked at them, chuckling a little to himself. "Ah… at last, we meet.

"You are now in my custody. You will surrender and come with me. Resistance would be futile, unless you want your little 'friend' to die." He smiled maliciously.

They had no choice; they couldn't let anyone else get hurt, much less Kopeke. As Toa, they were sworn to protect, not kill.

"We surrender."

Teridax's eyes glinted. "Wise. Very wise."


	14. Chapter 13

"What can you see from up there?" Axonn yelled at Lewa.

"I can't eye-see much because of all these trees!" Lewa yelled from the topmost branches of a large fir tree, the largest in the immediate area. "But the trees stop-end a few miles from here! I can see some smoke in the distance! I mind-think that's where the village is!" With the limber grace that came from spending all of his time in the trees while on Mata Nui, Lewa slid gracefully down the trunk, avoiding all of the branches in his path, landing gracefully on his feet.

"Helryx! "Let's go! Lewa saw something a few miles from here!"

"Just a minute, Axonn!" Helryx turned to face Tuyet. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to, Tuyet. I had those experiments run on you for over a millennia. I know what you're hiding. And believe me, I know what you're planning. But it won't work. Even if you succeed in immobilizing the Toa, there are still the Glatorian; they don't fit into your plan; they can stop you. Even with all that power, you couldn't stand up to the power of all the Glatorian. You won't succeed, so don't even think of trying to enact your foolish plan."

With a slight smile, Tuyet met Helryx with an innocent gaze. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What plan?" Her smile widened.

"Don't play games with me, Tuyet, or you'll regret it. I've got my eye on you." She turned. "It's time to head out." She grabbed Tuyet by the crude cuffs Axonn had fashioned for her.

"Axonn, take her."

"With pleasure." Tuyet had tried to escape a few days ago. Axonn had been on watch. He'd woken up with a large, throbbing pain in the back of his head. Ever since, he'd relished in littering her journey with as much misfortune as possible.

Axonn dragged her behind him, ensuring that he pulled hard enough to make her trip and land in the ankle-deep mud more than once. She came up, sputtering mud and giving Axonn a dirty look, but she couldn't do anything; in terms of sheer brute strength, Axonn would beat her every time.

A few hours passed before they found that the trees suddenly stopped. They could see the beginnings of the village in the distance; it was nothing more than the smattering of a few low roofs against the horizon, but it told them they were going the right way.

As they walked, Helryx talked to Axonn. "First thing's first. We have to take Tuyet to the village head. That fellow never mentioned who it was, but I have a feeling it's Turaga Dume. He's the one with the most experience. It would be a natural and easy choice to decide upon him."

"So, we bring Tuyet to him?"

"Yes. He'll know what to do with her. And Lewa has to report to Tahu, and Hafu and Kapura will probably want to find their friends."

"What about Artahka?"

"Yes, what about me?" Suddenly, he was behind them.

"What are you going to do once we reach the village?"

"If you are thinking you can order me around-"

"Not at all. Nothing like that."

"Good. So you are honestly curious. Very well. I intend to come with you to speak with Dume to learn what I can of everyone's current situation. The Great Beings placed me in a position of great power, and I have a duty to protect all of their subjects, which now includes Agori and Matoran. Dume is the one who can give me the most complete view of the entire situation. I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not."

Helryx lightly laughed. "I don't think that we could stop you if we tried."

"I wouldn't try and stop you."

"That is wise."

They reached the village just under an hour later. Helryx turned to face the rest of the group. "Here is where we part ways. I would like to thank each of you for all of the assistance you have rendered. I wish you all good luck." There was no more fanfare; they all went their separate ways.

Axonn pulled hard on Tuyet's cuffs. "Come on, you. We're going to see the Turaga."

Tuyet smiled wickedly. "Ah, old Turaga Dume. It'll be good to catch up with such an old friend."

"Don't get any ideas," threatened Helryx. "I can always order Axonn to rip your head off."

"But you won't."

"And why is that?"

"Because," Tuyet's smile grew wider, "I know you Helryx. You would never allow such a murder, even one you didn't commit directly, to stain your honor."

Helryx didn't say it, but she was right. Someone, someday may order Tuyet dead, but Helryx would not be the one to do so.

But she would never give Tuyet the satisfaction of knowing she was right.

They marched to the outside of Turaga Dume's hut, which they'd been directed to be the villagers, where two guards stopped them in their tracks. "No one is allowed to see the Turaga right now."

"It's urgent."

"I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to see the Turaga."

"Listen, you. I am Helryx, the first Toa and the leader of the Order of Mata Nui. This is Artahka, who I believe needs no further introduction. Now, we wish to see the Turaga. Are we going to have a problem?" She fixed her eyes upon him, giving him the most malicious stare she could.

The guard gulped. "I-I'll let the Turaga know you're here." He quickly disappeared inside the hut.

"Remind me never to make you mad."

"She was just bluffing that whole time. Helryx is gutless, just like she's always been."

"Quiet, you!" Axonn gave her a large knock on the top of the head, which shut her up quickly.

The guard came out. "Turaga Dume will see you now."

"A wise choice." Helryx strode into the hut, followed by Tuyet, Axonn, who had to bend down to squeeze his enormous bulk through the frame, and Artahka.

"I didn't think it would actually be you." As they entered, they saw Dume facing them. "I thought my guard had gone delirious. I was about to have him relieved of duty." He turned to Artahka. "Artahka, it is a true gift for me to be able to be in your presence." He bowed.

"But, I digress. What brings you here, Helryx? And who's your friend?" He looked at Axonn.

Helryx cleared her throat. "This is Axonn, a member of the Order whom I trust greatly. But he is not the reason I come to see you today." Axonn yanked on Tuyet's cuffs and threw her on the ground in front of the two of them.

Dume's face twisted in anger. "I never thought I'd see your face again, traitor. Through what black magic are you still alive? After that giant beast dragged you off, I figured it had killed you."

"No, Botar merely took me to The Pit. Helryx wouldn't be satisfied until I'd gotten the very best in prison accommodations."

Dume's head snapped up. "You did this? You took her all those years ago?"

"It was for everyone's safety." Caught up in her argument with Dume, Helryx forgot to ponder why Tuyet hadn't told the whole story, and to tell it herself.

"I was the head of Metru Nui! It was for me to decide then, and it is now! I don't care what has happened since, but Toa Tuyet will die!" Dume exhaled loudly to calm himself. "Is that the only reason you came to see me today?"

"No. An army of Vorox is on its way here, intending to lay waste to this village and everyone here." Artahka was blunt and to the point.

"How far away are they?"

"It'll take them a week or more to march here, but from what I was told, it seems like it'll take them two weeks to assemble. So, liberally, three weeks."

Dume sighed and planted his hands on the table in front of him. "We can't handle an attack. Half of our Toa here are off on one mission or another; the same can be said for the Glatorian. Now is perhaps the worst time for an attack."

"Which is, most likely, precisely why they've chosen to attack now."

Dume sighed again. "You're right, of course. I'll double patrols and put everyone on alert. I may not be able to put up an army, but I can at least prevent us from being taken by surprise. Can you work with Hydraxon to begin arming everyone, and preparing them?"

"Of course."

"Axonn, could you escort Tuyet to her cell? My guards will show you where the prison is."

Axonn looked to Helryx for confirmation. She nodded.

"It would be my pleasure, Turaga." Roughly picking up Tuyet, he dragged her out of the hut.

Helryx and Artahka turned to leave, but before they could, Dume spoke. "I don't care what happened to Tuyet in the interim. I don't want to know. But I can tell you this; I am the head of this village. Right now, I've been placed in charge of all Matoran by the Toa Nuva. I will have my way; Toa Tuyet will die. Helryx, I need your word that you will not attempt to stop me for whatever reason. I realize that I cannot force you to act in one way or another, Artahka, but I would still like if you could give your word."

Through gritted teeth, Helryx responded. "As you wish." She turned and left, not caring if Dume had anything else to say to her.

Artahka turned to leave. "Do as you will."

"Stop her! Don't let her get away!" It was Axonn's voice. Helryx and Artahka rushed to the source. Axonn was on the ground, a large would in his chest armor. He was gasping for breath. "She… she surprised me. She used her mask to slip out of the cuffs, and she grabbed the guard's sword." He feebly laughed. "I guess this is what I get for letting my guard down." He coughed.

His eyes turned towards the sky. "Tuyet's gone by now. It would be foolish to send someone after her. With the power of that Nui Stone, she'd be able to overpower anyone we send after her. Why didn't you have me kill her earlier? It could have saved us a lot of trouble."

"Tuyet was right. I could never commit a murder, even an indirect one. I just-I just couldn't do it. I'm sorry Axonn. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't be like this."

"Don't apologize. You did as you thought best, just as we all must do."

There was a long silence.

"I know Brutaka's alive, out there, somewhere. If I survive this, might I have permission to seek him?" He was clearly losing grasp

"'If,'" thought Helryx, "not 'When.'"

"Yes, Axonn." She held his hand. "When you're better, I will relieve you of duty and allow you to go search for Brutaka." She knew he wasn't, couldn't be alive, but Axonn was determined, and he was going to go whether she gave him permission or not. It was just easier this way.

"I'll kill him. Whoever took Brutaka, I'll kill him. No one can hurt one of my friends and get away with it."

Helryx smiled. His dedication to his friend was inspiring. Even now, with his grievous wound, his foremost thoughts were on Brutaka.

"But if I… if I don't make it…"

"You'll make it, Axonn. You've lived through worse than this. You'll live." She turned to him and smiled. "I promise. The healers will be here any minute."

She summoned her water powers and drew water out of the ground. "But until then, let me help you. This isn't much; I'm no healer. But I'll do what I can." She ran the water over his wound, cleansing it and soothing the pain as much as she could. But soothing was about all she could do; like she said, she was no healer.

Axonn relaxed, a smile appearing on his face as he whispered, "Thank you."

Helryx and Artahka sat down to wait for the healers to arrive.

A moment later, Dume arrived. "I've heard the news. I've sent out groups to go catch her! I'm sending out our strongest Toa!"

"No!" Helryx yelled, "Not Toa! I would say that you shouldn't send any patrols, but if you must, send Glatorian! Just not Toa!"

Dume stared at her. "Come with me. I know I just said that I would prefer not to hear what happened to Tuyet, but given recent events, and your strong feelings about the situation, I feel that it would be beneficial for both of us if I understood this situation and its consequences in its entirety. You have a lot of explaining to do, Helryx."


End file.
